The Red-bellied Woodpecker is the pale, zebra-backed woodpecker with a red cap that lives in eastern woodlands and backyards all year. Tennessee's wildlife agency calls its name misleading: the red belly is faint and hard to see, and the bird is often mistaken for the Red-headed Woodpecker, a different species. This page covers how to tell males from females, where the red belly actually is, the look-alikes, and what brings one to a feeder. Other starter species are on common backyard birds.
Quick facts
| Fact | Red-bellied Woodpecker |
|---|---|
| Scientific name | Melanerpes carolinus |
| Length | 9.4 in |
| Weight | 2.0–3.2 oz |
| Wingspan | 13.0–16.5 in |
| Size compared | Same size as a Hairy Woodpecker, three-quarters the size of a Northern Flicker |
| Where | Eastern woodlands and wooded suburbs, year-round; mostly below about 2,000 ft |
| Breeding population | 16 million (Partners in Flight) |
| Trend | Up about 0.8% a year, 1966–2019 (Breeding Bird Survey) |
| Concern score | 7 of 20, low concern |
| Oldest known | A male in Georgia, at least 12 years 3 months, identified by its band |
All figures from the Cornell Lab's All About Birds. The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency gives the age record as 12 years 1 month.
Male or female: read the head
Cornell's description leads with the strongly barred back and the bright red cap; Illinois DNR calls the zebra-like barring unique among that state's woodpeckers. The red on the head tells the sexes apart:
| Plumage | Red on the head | Rest of the head |
|---|---|---|
| Adult male | A continuous band from the base of the bill over the crown to the nape | Gray face |
| Adult female | A patch on the nape, plus a small red spot just above the bill | Gray crown between the two |
Sources: USGS Patuxent identification page; Missouri Department of Conservation. Minnesota DNR puts it another way: the female's red stripe stops just in front of the eyes. USGS adds that the red nape and the black-and-white barred central tail feathers mark the species in every plumage. In flight, white patches show on the wings and rump (Audubon).
Why the red belly is hard to see
The name is accurate but not helpful. Audubon's field guide says the red on the belly is not often visible in the field. The Missouri Department of Conservation calls it faintly reddish and rarely visible, and Tennessee's wildlife agency says it is faint and hard to see. Three things work against you:
- It is pale and small. A BirdNote piece in Audubon describes "a slight blush of rose on its lower belly", the last thing most people notice.
- It is low and can be hidden. The Forest Preserve District of Will County, Illinois, notes the faint reddish patches can be covered by white.
- The bird faces the bark. Red-bellied Woodpeckers forage on main branches and trunks, clinging and bracing on stiff tail feathers (Cornell), with the underside toward the wood.
The BirdNote piece's advice is to look to the head instead; the barred back helps too.
Red-bellied (left)
- Red cap: bill to nape on the male; nape plus a spot above the bill on the female (USGS).
- Back: narrow black-and-white bars (Audubon, Missouri).
- Belly: a faint rosy wash low on the belly, rarely visible (Audubon, Missouri).
- Face and underparts: pale gray to buffy (USGS, Audubon).
Red-headed (right)
- Head: entirely red, including the face and throat (Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency).
- Back: solid black (Missouri), not barred.
- Wing: large white patches (Audubon).
- Belly: pure white (Missouri).
Look-alikes
| Species | How it differs | Where you'll meet the problem |
|---|---|---|
| Red-headed Woodpecker | Whole head red; black back with large white wing patches; white belly. Juveniles have a brown head and dark bars across the white wing patch, turning red during the first winter (Audubon) | East-wide. Tennessee's agency says the Red-bellied is often mistaken for it, especially where Red-headed is uncommon |
| Golden-fronted Woodpecker | Overlaps with Red-bellied in Texas, and the two hybridize there; check every plumage detail (USGS) | Texas |
| Gila Woodpecker | Darker brown head and belly; no red nape and no red spot above the bill (USGS) | — |
| Hairy Woodpecker | Cornell gives it as the Red-bellied's size match; Hairy and Downy marks are on our Downy vs Hairy Woodpecker page | — |
The Will County forest preserve district puts the mix-up down to the names: both birds could fairly be called red-headed, and because the belly is so faint, people call the Red-bellied by the other bird's name. The Red-headed also lives differently. Audubon says it favors open country, groves and scattered large trees and avoids unbroken forest, and Cornell lists it as a "Common Bird in Steep Decline". Cornell also notes it is one of four North American woodpeckers known to store food and the only one that covers its stash with wood or bark.
Voice and behavior
- Calls: a rolling churrrr, often repeated, and a chuck-chuck-chuck (Audubon); Missouri adds a dry chif-chif. Cornell says the rolling call is a good way to identify it.
- Drumming: used to defend a territory all year, most noticeable in late winter and early spring (Minnesota DNR). More sounds: bird songs for beginners.
- Tongue: it can stick its tongue out nearly 2 inches past the end of its beak; the tip is barbed and the saliva sticky (Cornell).
- Caching: it wedges large nuts into bark crevices and whacks them into pieces, and stores food in cracks in trees and fence posts (Cornell); Audubon says nuts and seeds stored in fall are eaten through winter.
- Diet: insects, spiders and other arthropods, plus acorns, nuts, seeds and fruit; occasionally lizards, nestling birds and minnows (Cornell). Plant food can be more than half the diet in some seasons (Audubon).
Feeders and yard
Cornell suggests suet, especially in winter, peanuts and sometimes sunflower seeds, and notes that Red-bellied Woodpeckers have been seen drinking from hummingbird feeders. Minnesota DNR says they are especially fond of orange halves and visit fruit feeders. Dead trees and berry trees such as hawthorn and mountain-ash can bring them in (Cornell). At feeders they push aside most other birds except Blue Jays (Cornell).
| Offer | Source | See also |
|---|---|---|
| Suet, especially in winter | Cornell; Missouri | Suet recipes, winter bird feeding |
| Peanuts | Cornell | What to feed backyard birds |
| Sunflower seed | Cornell ("sometimes"); Missouri (winter) | Bird feeder types |
| Orange halves | Minnesota DNR | Summer bird feeding |
| Dead trees left standing; berry trees such as hawthorn | Cornell; Missouri | Native plants for birds |
Nesting
The male picks the site and starts digging, then calls and taps softly to attract a female; if she accepts, she taps back and helps finish the hole (Cornell). Audubon says the male may start several holes and the female chooses which one to finish. Nests go in dead trees, dead limbs of live trees and fence posts, and a pair often digs a new cavity each year, often below the old one (Cornell).
| Stage | Cornell | Other sources |
|---|---|---|
| Clutch | 2–6 white eggs | Usually 4 (Tennessee) |
| Incubation | 12 days | 12–14 days, both adults (Tennessee); male takes the night shift (Audubon) |
| Nestling period | 24–27 days | Parents may feed young for 6 weeks or more after they leave (Audubon) |
| Broods | 1–3 | Northern birds usually 1, southern birds 2–3 (Audubon) |
| Nest height | — | Usually under 50 ft, up to 120 ft (Audubon); 27 ft on average in Tennessee |
| Cavity | 22–32 cm (about 9–13 in) deep | Entrance just under 2½ in (Minnesota DNR) |
European Starlings often take over the cavities; Cornell says as many as half the nests are invaded in some areas. Audubon notes the species may also use a nest box or an old woodpecker hole. Compare dates with other species on the bird nesting timeline.
A range on the move
Cornell says the range has expanded north in recent decades. Minnesota shows how far. The state's first confirmed record was a male shot in Houston County in 1893, and the first nest was found in Red Wing in 1903 (Minnesota Breeding Bird Atlas). The atlas survey of 2009–2013 found the species in 80 of 87 counties, and the range moved about 350 km (about 220 miles) northwest between 1926 and 2013. The atlas lists winter feeders, maturing forests and warmer winters as possible causes. Minnesota DNR says it has now been recorded in all 87 counties and that its spread closely parallels the Northern Cardinal's.
For your Bird-a-Day streak
A year-round resident with a loud call (Cornell) is a dependable reserve bird inside its range: keep it for a slow day in the Bird-a-Day challenge. Near the northern edge, check eBird before counting on one, and count a Red-headed Woodpecker only after checking the whole head and the back.
Red-bellied-friendly yard checklist
- Suet in a cage in winter, plus peanuts
- Orange halves in late spring and summer, when orioles visit too (Minnesota DNR)
- Dead trees or limbs left standing where safe
- Berry trees such as hawthorn
- Feeders cleaned on a schedule: see how to clean a bird feeder
Sources
- Red-bellied Woodpecker Overview — All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology
- Red-bellied Woodpecker Identification — All About Birds
- Red-bellied Woodpecker Life History — All About Birds
- Red-headed Woodpecker — All About Birds
- Red-bellied Woodpecker — Audubon Guide to North American Birds
- Red-headed Woodpecker — Audubon Guide to North American Birds
- Don't Be Fooled By the Red-bellied Woodpecker's Name — BirdNote in Audubon (2016)
- Red-bellied Woodpecker identification tips — USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center
- Red-headed Woodpecker identification tips — USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center
- Red-bellied Woodpecker — Missouri Department of Conservation field guide
- Red-bellied Woodpecker — Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency
- Minnesota Profile: Red-bellied Woodpecker — Minnesota DNR, Minnesota Conservation Volunteer (2023)
- Red-bellied Woodpecker — Minnesota Breeding Bird Atlas
- The Drill Team — OutdoorIllinois, Illinois DNR (2005, PDF)
- Red-bellied vs. red-headed woodpecker — Forest Preserve District of Will County