Red-headed Woodpeckers
While I find other woodpeckers in the uplands as well as along Cedar Creek, Red-headed Woodpeckers stick to the bottomland floodplain along the Creek.
Adult birds of both sexes have the distinctive red head and black and white bodies, however immature Red-headed Woodpeckers aren’t red at all. Neither are they black and bright white. Plumage of young birds like the one preening and laying on a branch in the images above are generally hues of light brown with some cream, off-white color mixed in.
Below an adult bird preens on a limb in a way similar to the young brown bird above.
During their first year, young birds change from the dull juvenile colors to the characteristic red, white, and black of adult Red-headed Woodpeckers (see below).
Red-headed Woodpeckers feed on mast and store nuts and acorns in natural or hollowed out holes in trees. Acorns and Beech nuts are favorite foods, and the banks of Cedar Creek along my walkway have plenty of both.
2 Replies to “Red-headed Woodpeckers”
You have made my day with these gorgeous photos. I am fortunate to have them visiting my feeders but they are hard to photograph due to their speed. Thank you also for the education about their young, hoping to see them this spring. 😍
I’m so pleased you like the post. I saw my first Red Headed Woodpecker about six years ago and have been hooked on them since. Each time I walk to the bottomland along the creek I hear them rattling and pecking, and I usually see one or two.