Red-bellied Woodpecker

Red-bellied Woodpecker, Melanerpes carolinus

The Red-bellied Woodpecker is a common woodpecker within the pine, mature hardwood, and mixed forests in the eastern half of the United States, as well as in backyards. Although pale with a red cap, they are not to be confused with the rarer Red-headed Woodpecker. A pair of red-bellied woodpeckers can carve a nest in a dead tree within 7 to 10 days, but they will occasionally use bird houses. They are omnivorous with a diet consisting of a wide variety of fruits, nuts, seeds, berries, sap, and invertebrates. Their long, spear-tipped tongue is used to excavate prey from cracks, and prey that is too large is trashed against a tree and pecked. In addition to a long tongue, one that is curled around the back of the head when in storage, woodpeckers have thickened skulls and powerful neck muscles to help deliver sharp blows with their chisel bills without damaging their organs.