Red-headed Woodpecker

The Red-headed Woodpecker (Melanerpes erythrocephalus) is one of the most distinctive and visually striking forest birds of North America. Often called the "flying checkerboard" or "patriotic bird," adults sport a dazzling tri-color pattern of deep crimson, stark white, and velvety black. This species stands out not just for its appearance, but also for its fascinating, highly active behaviors—ranging from acrobatic aerial flycatching to meticulously caching acorns and insects under tree bark. Once incredibly common across eastern oak savannas, their populations have faced localized declines due to habitat alteration and the loss of standing dead trees.

Recognizing the Red-headed Woodpecker is straightforward, thanks to its bold, blocky color patterns.

• Adults: Feature a completely crimson-red head, neck, throat, and upper breast. Underparts are a pure, immaculate white. The back is a solid, glossy black, contrasted by massive, brilliant white patches on the secondary wing feathers. The tail is black. In flight, the wing trailing edge appears solid white, creating a distinct, graphic contrast.
• Immatures: Juveniles lack the red head, showing instead a dusky brown or gray head and neck. Their backs are dark brown with blackish barring, but they still display the characteristic large white secondary wing patches on their inner wings, which helper identify them even before they molt into their adult finery during their first winter.
• Similar Species: Beginners frequently confuse the Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus) with this species due to its name. However, the Red-bellied Woodpecker only has a strip of red on its crown and nape (not the whole head) and has a finely barred "zebra-patterned" black and white back, lacking the bold solid color blocks of the Red-headed Woodpecker.

Red-headed Woodpeckers thrive in open, mature woodlands with sparse understories, oak savannas, orchards, golf courses, and beaver swamps with abundant standing dead timber (snags). They require dead trees for both nesting cavities and foraging perches.

Geographically, they range across the eastern United States and parts of southern Canada, extending west into the Great Plains. While some southern populations are year-round residents, northern populations are migratory or nomadic, traveling in search of rich hard mast crops (like acorns and beech nuts) each autumn to secure their winter food supply.

Foraging & Diet

Unlike many other woodpecker species that focus primarily on drilling into wood for bark beetles, the Red-headed Woodpecker is an exceptionally versatile generalist. It frequently flycatches, launching from a high branch to snag insects mid-air. One of its most famous behaviors is food caching; it wedges nuts, seeds, and even grasshoppers into bark crevices, fence posts, or under roof shingles, often sealing them in with pieces of wood or bark to save for winter.

Vocalizations & Displays

They are highly vocal and territorial. Their most common call is a loud, harsh, raspy "krreeer" or "tchur-tchur," delivered from high perches. They also communicate via diagnostic drumming on resonant dead branches, utility poles, or metal hardware.

Nesting

They are primary cavity producers, excavating a new chamber each year, usually in a dead tree trunk or large branch. Both the male and female cooperate in drilling the cavity and raising the young. These cavity sites are highly valued and are aggressively defended from Starlings, Bluebirds, and other woodpeckers.