This striking creature is a Red-bellied Woodpecker. He has more red on his head than belly, but there’s already a bird called the Red-Headed Woodpecker so what’s a bird to do?
Red-bellied Woodpeckers have slowly been expanding their range northward since the 1960s and are now a common feeder bird in southern Wisconsin. I’ve had them in my backyard for over a decade.
Males have red on their heads and the nape of their necks. Females look like bald males with red only on the nape. I have a pair of Red-bellied Woodpeckers visiting my feeders this year. I see the male every day, but I’ve only seen the female a few times.
Like other woodpeckers, the Red-bellied has an amazing tongue that is at least 3 times the length of its bill. It has a very sharp tip for stabbing prey and tiny barbs on the sides that point toward the bird and help it reel in food or insects.
My Red-bellied Woodpeckers are most fond of peanuts, but lately the male is fascinated with dried fruit and always digs around in my seed mix until he finds a piece. The birds have a very high-pitched call that sounds to me like a tiny barking dog. Even in winter I can hear their call from inside the house.