Acorn Woodpecker or Red-Headed Woodpecker?

General appearance

The red-headed woodpecker stands at about 10 inches (25 cm) tall, roughly the size of a Robin. Its coloring is striking, with a solid pattern of black, white, and red. Its wing shape is broad and rounded, and it has a multi-pointed, wedge-shaped tail. Large white patches on the wings are key identifiers.

Male vs female

There is no significant difference in the coloration and physical traits between male and female red-headed woodpeckers. Both genders boast the same pattern of black, red, and white, as well as the noteworthy white wing patches.

Juvenile

Distinguishing juvenile red-headed woodpeckers from adults is fairly manageable. Young birds sport a brown head, in contrast to the vivid red of the adults. Their white wing patches are streaked with dark bars. As they approach their first winter, the brown on their head gradually gives way to red.

Primary habitat

The red-headed woodpecker favors open country, forest edges, groves of tall trees, orchards, and shade trees in towns. Large scattered trees in farm country are also preferred.

Additional range

In winter, its habitat can be influenced by food sources available in fall like acorns or beechnuts. It may inhabit open pine woods and avoids unbroken forests.

Natural diet

The red-headed woodpecker is highly omnivorous and perhaps the most omnivorous among woodpeckers. Its diet includes a wide variety of insects and other invertebrates such as spiders and earthworms. It also consumes nuts, seeds, berries, and both wild and cultivated fruits. Occasionally, it may eat small rodents and is known to eat eggs and nestlings of other birds. Additionally, the red-headed woodpecker sometimes feeds on bark.

Bird feeders

At bird feeders, red-headed woodpeckers are likely to consume nuts and seeds, which align with their natural diet. They might also be attracted to suet feeders, as suet provides a high-energy food source similar to those they find in nature.