Red-bellied Woodpecker

Melanerpes carolinus

Year-round in CharlotteCommon
Plate 416 — five woodpeckers, Red-bellied second — engraved plate of the Red-bellied Woodpecker
Plate 416 — five woodpeckers, Red-bellied second · John James Audubon · Public domain

The take

The red is mostly on the head, confusingly — the zebra-backed regular at suet feeders.

How to ID it

  • Sleek, round-headed, pale-looking woodpecker with a boldly black-and-white striped back
  • Flashing red cap and nape; white patches near the wingtips visible in flight
  • Hitches along branches and trunks, picking at bark more than drilling, with undulating flight

Field marks at a glance

Size
medium
Head
red cap and nape
Call
rolling churr

Where & when

Year-round in Charlotte

Learn more

Sources