Every bird watcher and nature observer has his or her "lists." Here are mine for Birds, Insects, Mammals, Plants, Reptiles, and Crustaceans, complete with pull down menus.
BIRDS
Categorized by genus/species, placed chronologically by common name
American Coot
American Crow
American Flamingo*
American Goldfinch
American Kestrel
American Robin
American Tree Sparrow
American White Pelican
Bald Eagle
Baltimore Oriole
Barn Swallow
Belted Kingfisher
Black-Capped Chickadee
Black Vulture*
Blue Jay
Blue-Winged Teal
Bobwhite
Brown Creeper
Brown-Headed Cowbird
Brown Thrasher
Bufflehead
Canada Goose
Canvasback
Cedar Waxwing
Chipping Sparrow
Common Grackle
Common Goldeneye
Common Redpoll
Cooper's Hawk
Dark-Eyed Junco
Double-Breasted Cormorant
Downy Woodpecker
Eastern Bluebird
Eastern Goldfinch - See American Goldfinch
Eastern Kingbird
Eastern Meadowlark
Eastern Phoebe
Eastern Towhee
Eurasian Coot*
European Starling
Fox Sparrow
Golden-Crowned Kinglet
Gray Catbird
Graylag Goose
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Greater Flamingo*
Hairy Woodpecker
Harlequin Duck
Hermit Thrush
Herring Gull
Horned Lark
House Finch
House Sparrow
House Wren
Indigo Bunting
Killdeer
Lesser Scaup
Lincoln's Sparrow
Mallard (Domestic)
Mallard (Wild)
Mourning Dove
Northern Cardinal
Northern Flicker
Northern Rough-Winged Swallow
Northern Shoveler
Orange-Crowned Warbler
Palm Warbler
Red-Bellied Woodpecker
Red-Breasted Nuthatch
Red-Headed Woodpecker
Red-Tailed Hawk
Red-Winged Blackbird
Ring-Billed Gull
Ring-Necked Duck
Rock Pigeon
Ruby-Crowned Kinglet
Scarlet Tanager
Solitary Sandpiper
Song Sparrow
Spotted Sandpiper
Swamp Sparrow
Tufted Titmouse
Turkey Vulture
White-Breasted Nuthatch
White-Crowned Sparrow
White-Throated Sparrow
Wild Turkey
Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker
Yellow-Rumped Warbler
INSECTS, ARACHNIDS, MYRIAPODS & GASTROPODS
Categorized by family, placed chronologically by common name
Red-Bellied Woodpecker - Melanerpes carolinus - also known as Le pic à ventre roux (French), Roodbuikspecht (Dutch), Carolinaspecht (German), Picchio della Carolina (Italian), Carpintero de Carolina (Spanish), and Karolinaspett (Swedish).
The Red-Bellied Woodpecker can be identified by the red stripe that runs from the front of his head to his nape (like a mohawk) in males, and from the back of his head to his nape (like a mullet) in the females, but he is named for the red shade on his belly that is very difficult to see (except in the top picture!). The above is of the female. Very common in Iowa and the Midwest throughout the year. You can see his red belly-stripe in full, here.
Woodpeckers (and hawks) are so much easier to find in the winter. Anywhere you can find a stand of oak trees, you’ll find hawks and woodpeckers in Iowa. Of course, in Iowa, in the summer, the foliage makes it more difficult to actually see the birds. In the winter, when all of the foliage has fallen to the ground, they are much easier to see. And, since they move up and down the tree, and move from tree to tree, you can generally find them (the woodpeckers) without trouble.
Compare to the Northern Flicker, which has a spotted breast, red on the nape (that doesn’t extend as far as the red on either of the sexes of the Red-Bellied Woodpecker), a black chest bar, and, in males, a black or red moustache.
This photo was taken with the Canon Digital Rebel XT / 350D and the Sigma 70-300mm Lens. Taken on December 19, 2007 in Davenport, Iowa.
Great woodpecker picture,they are so difficult to see and I have spent many a time in the woods following the noise they make trying to see one.Usually all I get is a fleeting glypse. Great ice storm pictures, only problem wuth the ice storms is the amount of damage they cause to the trees.
This looks like our Gila Woodpecker (Melanerpes uropygialis) except that the red coloring on ours is more toward the beak, and it doesn’t have a red belly. We also call the Gila Woodpecker the Saguaro Woodpecker because it makes holes in the Saguaro cactus to nest.
Happy holidays,
Aiyana
What lovely pictures! I get so excited when I spot a red-bellied, their head seems to light up from far away. Great pictures, I really love your site. :)
Oh my gosh! I’ve been calling these flickers, when in reality I’m seeing red-bellied woodpeckers! Thanks so much for clearing that up Moe. And thanks for the link.
How cute! She was posing for you!! I had a male and female Downey coming to my bird feeder, but haven’t seen them in a few days. I’ll get the camera out next time I see them.
I love to see the little downey woodpeckers in the winter! I don’t get them at my house for some reason, but they are everywhere else around here. Happy hunting, Angie!
January 1st, 2008 at 11:44 am
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This blog is about: Iowa, Illinois, Midwest, United States, nature, wildlife, animals, birds, ornithology, insects, bugs, entomology, Davenport, Bettendorf, Rock Island, Moline, Quad, City, Cities
Great woodpecker picture,they are so difficult to see and I have spent many a time in the woods following the noise they make trying to see one.Usually all I get is a fleeting glypse. Great ice storm pictures, only problem wuth the ice storms is the amount of damage they cause to the trees.
Ho Ho Ho Mark
December 21st, 2007 at 12:10 pmI saw my first woodpecker here in Chicago in ages outside my window. Unfortunately I was too slow to get a picture of him.
December 21st, 2007 at 12:57 pmI love the face-on shot! Poor guy, forever dubbed as having a mullet! :-)
Good birding to you!
December 21st, 2007 at 3:54 pmThis looks like our Gila Woodpecker (Melanerpes uropygialis) except that the red coloring on ours is more toward the beak, and it doesn’t have a red belly. We also call the Gila Woodpecker the Saguaro Woodpecker because it makes holes in the Saguaro cactus to nest.
December 21st, 2007 at 6:04 pmHappy holidays,
Aiyana
The Red-bellied Woodpeckers are such great woodpeckers! Wonderful post and I love these photos!
December 21st, 2007 at 11:53 pmWhat a beauty! Great photos.
December 22nd, 2007 at 12:54 pmOhh..wow, love the woodpecker. And those ice pics below, burr….but beautiful…
sandy
December 22nd, 2007 at 9:27 pmWhat lovely pictures! I get so excited when I spot a red-bellied, their head seems to light up from far away. Great pictures, I really love your site. :)
December 23rd, 2007 at 1:24 amVery nice picture. Very rare to get such a great shot of the red belly. Nice work!
December 23rd, 2007 at 7:58 pmGreat photos of this beautiful woodpecker!
December 23rd, 2007 at 11:18 pmWait a minute - isn’t that a Flicker?
December 24th, 2007 at 7:10 amThanks for all the comments, everybody!
Sally - I’ve added a comparison link to the Northern Flicker. The birds look similarly, but there are a few noticeable differences!
December 24th, 2007 at 9:29 amOh my gosh! I’ve been calling these flickers, when in reality I’m seeing red-bellied woodpeckers! Thanks so much for clearing that up Moe. And thanks for the link.
Merry Christmas!
December 24th, 2007 at 5:33 pmI clearly see the differences from the downy woodpecker here and the flickers I have in the summer. Great photos.
December 27th, 2007 at 8:52 pmHow cute! She was posing for you!! I had a male and female Downey coming to my bird feeder, but haven’t seen them in a few days. I’ll get the camera out next time I see them.
December 31st, 2007 at 3:16 pmI love to see the little downey woodpeckers in the winter! I don’t get them at my house for some reason, but they are everywhere else around here. Happy hunting, Angie!
January 1st, 2008 at 11:44 am