Red-bellied woodpecker
Melanerpes carolinus
Identification Tips:
- Length: 8.5 inches
- Medium-sized woodpecker
- Pale gray face, throat, breast, and belly
- Back strongly barred with black and white
- Black wings barred and spotted with white
- White bases to the primaries appear as white crescent in the hand
in flight
- White rump and uppertail coverts with sparse dark markings
- Dark tail with black and white barring on the central retricies
Adult male:
- Red cap extending from bill to nape
Adult female:
- Red nape patch, gray crown, and red spot above bill
Similar species:
Gila Woodpecker is darker brown about the head and belly,
lacks the red nape and spot above bill. Golden-fronted Woodpecker
overlaps in Texas where hybrids are known so identifications should
be made with caution and attention to all details of plumage. Note
the Red-bellied's red nape and barred central retricies in all
plumages.
Length and wingspan from: Robbins, C.S., Bruun, B., Zim, H.S., (1966). Birds of North America. New York: Western Publishing Company, Inc.
Patuxent Bird Population Studies
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