Red-headed Woodpecker
Melanerpes erythrocephalus
OrderPiciformes
FamilyPicidae
HabitatOpen woodlands, orchards, and country with scattered dead trees
SeasonUncommon and local in Texas; more widespread in the East
LocationFair Play, South Carolina, Oconee County, South Carolina
Size7.5-9.1 inches
DietInsects (often caught in flight), acorns, and fruit; caches food
ConservationLeast Concern (IUCN), but has declined s
CameraNikon Z9Lens400mmAperturef/5Shutter1/800ISO72
A Red-headed Woodpecker wearing that unmistakable crimson hood, Fair Play.
About the Red-headed Woodpecker
The Red-headed Woodpecker is the only North American woodpecker with an entirely crimson head, a tricolored stunner of scarlet, snow white, and ink black that old-timers called the flying checkerboard. There is no field mark to debate; the whole head is red.
Unusual among woodpeckers, it flycatches in mid-air and hoards acorns and beechnuts in bark crevices for winter. It depends on standing dead trees for nesting, and the loss of those snags has driven a long decline across its range.
These photographs were taken at Fair Play, South Carolina, where a pair worked the oaks around the family place.
Want to see a Red-headed Woodpecker in the wild?
Join one of my guided birding tours! Fine art prints of my photos are also available.
Join one of my guided birding tours! Fine art prints of my photos are also available.
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