Bird guide · Melanerpes carolinus
Red-bellied Woodpecker
What the red-bellied woodpecker eats, where it lives, when it comes to feeders and how to recognise it – with sightings from every US state.
- Season
- Year-round resident
- Size
- 9.4 in (24 cm)
- Eats
- suet, nuts, fruit
- Feeds
- suet cage, tray/platform
- Most common
- Georgia, Arkansas, Missouri
Food
What do red-bellied woodpeckers eat?
At feeders, red-bellied woodpeckers take suet, nuts, fruit, seeds.
Visits suet feeders; stores nuts and seeds in bark crevices for winter.
Feeder that suits it
A suet cage on a tree trunk or pole; peanuts and sunflower hearts work too.
Season
Does the red-bellied woodpecker migrate?
Year-round resident. Across the US it is reported in every month; its share of bird sightings is highest in October.
Share of all bird sightings in the US that are red-bellied woodpeckers, by month.
Identification
How to identify the red-bellied woodpecker
Male: Black-and-white barred back, buffy face and chest; red forehead, crown and nape.
Female: Red only on the nape.
Size: 9.4 in (24 cm)
Nesting
Does the red-bellied woodpecker use nest boxes?
Yes. It nests in boxes as well as natural cavities.
On camera
Getting the red-bellied woodpecker on a feeder camera
Pick a camera feeder that takes a suet cage, or mount a separate camera next to a suet feeder on the trunk – woodpeckers cling to the bark while they feed.
Questions
Red-bellied Woodpecker: questions
What do red-bellied woodpeckers eat?
At feeders, suet, nuts, fruit, seeds.
Do red-bellied woodpeckers migrate?
Year-round resident. Across the US it is reported in every month; its share of bird sightings is highest in October.
Where do red-bellied woodpeckers live?
By share of all bird sightings, they are most common in Georgia, Arkansas, Missouri, Florida, Kentucky. They are rare or absent in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho.
What does a female red-bellied woodpecker look like?
Red only on the nape.