Red-cockaded Woodpecker

Photo © by Ken Harvey
W G Jones State Forest, Conroe, Texas, 8 June 2019

Dryobates borealis

Identification

22 cm (8¾ in)

• Black and white horizontal barring on the back
• Black cap and nape
• White cheek patches
• Red streak on each side of the black cap

Distribution

Southeastern United States, from eastern Texas, Arkansas, and Louisiana east to North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida.

Taxonomy

Placed in genus Leuconotopicus by Gill and Donsker. Formerly included in Picoides

This is a monotypic species^[1].

Habitat

They nest in small colonies in mature pine and pine/oak forests.

Behaviour

Diet

Their diet consists of insects, larva and arthropods, particularly ants, beetles, cockroaches, caterpillars, wood-boring insects, and spiders. They also occasionally eat fruit and berries.

Breeding

Their clutch contains 3-4 small white eggs; the pair are often assisted by helpers. Incubation lasts 10-12 days, with fledging occurring after about 26 days. Only occasionally will a second brood be raised.

References

1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2018. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2018. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
2. ScienceDaily
3. Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved June 2019)

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Red-cockaded Woodpecker. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 5 May 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Red-cockaded_Woodpecker

External Links

Search for photos of Red-cockaded Woodpecker in the gallery

• Here are directions to easiest spot to see red-cockaded woodpecker in Texas (as of August 2007). About an hour from Houston-Intercontinental Airport