Contact

    Questions, comments, or inquiries about the blog, photos, or competitive text link ad rates should be sent to michael_motto[at]yahoo[dot]com

Recommended Links


Additional Resources

  • Your link here.
  • My Observation Lists

      Every bird watcher and nature observer has his or her "lists." Here are mine for Birds and Insects (left sidebar), and Travel, Mammals, Plants, Reptiles, Fish and Crustaceans (right sidebar), 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

      Barnacle Goose*

      Belted Kingfisher

      Black-and-White Warbler

      Black-Capped Chickadee

      Black-Headed Gull*

      Black Vulture*

      Blue Jay

      Blue Tit*

      Blue-Winged Teal

      Bobwhite

      Broad-Winged Hawk

      Brown Creeper

      Brown-Headed Cowbird

      Brown Thrasher

      Bufflehead

      Canada Goose

      Canvasback

      Cape May Warbler*

      Carolina Chickadee*

      Carolina Wren

      Cedar Waxwing

      Chipping Sparrow

      Common Gallinule

      Common Goldeneye

      Common Grackle

      Common Gull*

      Common Moorhen*

      Common Pochard*

      Common Redpoll

      Cooper's Hawk

      Dark-Eyed Junco

      Dicksissel

      Double-Crested Cormorant

      Downy Woodpecker

      Eastern Bluebird

      Eastern Goldfinch - See American Goldfinch

      Eastern Kingbird

      Eastern Meadowlark

      Eastern Phoebe

      Eastern Towhee

      Eastern Wood Pewee

      Eurasian Blackbird*

      Eurasian Collared Dove

      Eurasian Coot*

      Eurasian Jackdaw*

      Eurasian Magpie*

      European Serin*

      European Starling

      Fox Sparrow

      Golden-Crowned Kinglet

      Gray Catbird

      Graylag Goose

      Great Black-backed Gull*

      Great Blue Heron

      Great Egret

      Great Spotted Woodpecker*

      Greater Flamingo*

      Greater White-Fronted Goose*

      Hairy Woodpecker

      Harlequin Duck

      Hermit Thrush

      Herring Gull

      Hooded Crow*

      Horned Lark

      House Finch

      House Sparrow

      House Wren

      Indigo Bunting

      Killdeer

      Laughing Gull*

      Lesser Black-backed Gull*

      Lesser Scaup

      Lincoln's Sparrow

      Magnolia Warbler

      Mallard (Domestic)

      Mallard (Wild)

      Mourning Dove

      Mute Swan*

      Neotropic Cormorant*

      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-Legged Thrush*

      Red-Tailed Hawk

      Red-Winged Blackbird

      Ring-Billed Gull

      Ring-Necked Duck

      Rock Pigeon

      Rook*

      Ross's Goose*

      Ruby-Crowned Kinglet

      Ruddy Turnstone*

      Scarlet Tanager

      Smooth-Billed Ani*

      Solitary Sandpiper

      Song Sparrow

      Spotted Sandpiper

      Swamp Sparrow

      Tricolored Heron*

      Tufted Duck*

      Tufted Titmouse

      Tundra Swan*

      Turkey Vulture

      White-Breasted Nuthatch

      White-Cheeked Pintail*

      White-Crowned Pigeon*

      White-Crowned Sparrow

      White-Eyed Vireo

      White-Throated Sparrow

      White-Winged Dove

      Wild Turkey

      Wilson's Warbler

      Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker

      Yellow-Rumped Warbler


      INSECTS, ARACHNIDS, MYRIAPODS & GASTROPODS

    Categorized by family, placed chronologically by common name

      Ants (Formicidae)

      Bee Flies (Bombyliidae)

      Blow Flies (Calliphoridae)

      Brown Lacewings (Hemerobiidae)

      Bumble Bees, etc. (Apidae)

      Carrion Beetles (Silphidae)

      Cellar Spiders (Pholcidae)

      Centipedes, House (Scutigeridae)

      Cicadas (Cicadidae)

      Common Sawflies (Tenthredinidae)

      Crane Flies (Tipulidae)

      Emeralds (Corduliidae)

      Fireflies (Lampyridae)

      Flower Flies - See Syrphid Flies

      Funnel-Web Spiders (Agelenidae)

      Honey Bees - See Bumble Bees, etc.

      Hornets - See Yellowjackets, etc.

      Hover Flies - See Syrphid Flies

      Ichneumon Wasps (Ichneumonidae)

      Jumping Spiders (Salticidae)

      Katydids (Tettigoniidae)

      Ladybird Beetles (Coccinellidae)

      Leaf Beetles (Chrysomelidae)

      Leaffooted Bugs (Coreidae)

      Leafhoppers (Cicadellidae)

      Lightning Bugs - See Fireflies

      Longhorned Beetles (Cerambycidae)

      Mantid Flies (Mantispidae)

      Mantids (Mantidae)

      Minettia Flies (Minettia)

      Narrow-Winged Damselflies (Coenagrionidae)

      New York Weevils (Ithyceridae)

      Orb-Weavers (Araneidae)

      Paper Wasps - See Yellowjackets, etc.

      Picture-Winged Flies (Ulidiidae)

      Plant Bugs (Miridae)

      Robber Flies (Asilidae)

      Scarab Beetles (Scarabaeidae)

      Scentless Plant Bugs (Rhopalidae)

      Short-horned Grasshoppers (Acrididae)

      Signal Flies (Platystomatidae)

      Soldier Beetles (Cantharidae)

      Soldier Flies (Stratiomyidae)

      Spittlebugs (Cercopidae)

      Stink Bugs (Pentatomidae)

      Swallowtails (Papilionidae)

      Sweat Bees (Halictidae)

      Syrphid Flies (Syrphidae)

      Tiger Moths (Arctiidae)

      Tiphiid Wasps (Tiphiidae)

      Yellowjackets, etc. (Vespidae)


    Friday, December 21, 2007

    red-bellied woodpecker hello

    red-bellied woodpecker close

    Red-Bellied WoodpeckerMelanerpes 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.

    Related posts:

    1. Red-Bellied Woodpecker, In Flight
    2. Photo Hunt – Creative – Red-Bellied Woodpecker
    3. Red-Bellied Woodpecker
    4. Red-Bellied Woodpecker – Female
    5. Red-Bellied Woodpecker – Male

    Posted by: Moe in: Birds,Iowa at 6:00 am

    Permalink | trackback (right click and save) | 
    16 Responses to “Red-Bellied Woodpecker”
    1. 1
      Mark Says:

      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

    2. 2
      MrBrownThumb Says:

      I saw my first woodpecker here in Chicago in ages outside my window. Unfortunately I was too slow to get a picture of him.

    3. 3
      The Birdfreak Team Says:

      I love the face-on shot! Poor guy, forever dubbed as having a mullet! :-)

      Good birding to you!

    4. 4
      Aiyana Says:

      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

    5. 5
      mon@rch Says:

      The Red-bellied Woodpeckers are such great woodpeckers! Wonderful post and I love these photos!

    6. 6
      olivia Says:

      What a beauty! Great photos.

    7. 7
      sandy Says:

      Ohh..wow, love the woodpecker. And those ice pics below, burr….but beautiful…

      sandy

    8. 8
      Chicago Nature Lady Says:

      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. :)

    9. 9
      Karl C. Says:

      Very nice picture. Very rare to get such a great shot of the red belly. Nice work!

    10. 10
      Con Daily Says:

      Great photos of this beautiful woodpecker!

    11. 11
      Sally Says:

      Wait a minute – isn’t that a Flicker?

    12. 12
      Moe Says:

      Thanks 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!

    13. 13
      Sally Says:

      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.

      Merry Christmas!

    14. 14
      Andrée Says:

      I clearly see the differences from the downy woodpecker here and the flickers I have in the summer. Great photos.

    15. 15
      Angie Hurst Says:

      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.

    16. 16
      Moe Says:

      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!

    Leave a Reply


    For the most part, free speech rules. But I do reserve the right to delete offensive comments.

    Follow

    IowaVoice.com

    Promote Your Page Too


      TRAVEL

      Bahamas

      Belgium

      Canada

      Czech Republic

      Denmark

      Dominican Republic

      England

      France

      Germany

      Italy

      Iran

      Luxembourg

      Mexico

      Monaco

      Netherlands

      Qatar

      Romania

      Spain

      Sweden

      Switzerland

      United States


      MAMMALS

      American Beaver

      Common Raccoon

      Eastern Chipmunk

      Eastern Cottontail

      Eastern Fox Squirrel

      Eastern Gray Squirrel

      Groundhog - See Woodchuck

      Ground Squirrel - See Eastern Chipmunk

      Red Fox

      Striped Skunk

      Virginia Opossum

      White-Tailed Deer

      Woodchuck


      PLANTS

      Brown-Eyed Susan

      Buttonbush

      Clematis

      Crown Vetch

      Dandelion

      Day Lily

      Field Marigold

      Larkspur

      Mountain Blue

      Palm Tree*

      Purple Coneflower

      Rose

      Sedum

      Spider Lily - See Spiderwort

      Spiderwort

      Stinkhorn

      Sweet Alyssum

      Tulip

      Whorled Tickseed

      Wild Pansy

      Yarrow


      REPTILES and AMPHIBIANS

      American Toad

      Common Garter Snake

      Eastern Box Turtle*

      Green Frog

      Long-Tailed Salamander*

      Northern Fence Lizard*

      Painted Turtle


      FISH

      Giant Sea Star*

      Nassau Grouper*

      Puffer Fish*

      Scrawled Filefish*

      Sergeant Major*

      Spanish Hogfish*

      Spotted Grouper*

      Stoplight Parrotfish*

      Yellowhead Wrasse*

      Yellowtail Snapper*


      CRUSTACEANS

      Crayfish


      OTHER

      Events

      Farm Implements

      Landscapes / Rivers

      Miscellaneous

      Planes / Trains / Autos / Boats

      Rainbows / Clouds / Sky Formations

      Signs, Billboards, etc.

      Structures / Buildings

      Sun and Moon

      Weather


    Birding Blogs


    Bug Blogs


    Iowa / Illinois Blogs


    General Nature Links


    Carnivals


    Food and Travel Links


    The Beautiful Game


    My Political Posts


    Religion Links


    Other Reading Links


    AdSense


    Amazon


    Daily Archives

    Archives


    FEEDJIT

    Make Money on Your Blog

    Moe's Stuff

    • About Me
    • Copyright Info.
    • IV Recommends: Bird Seed
    • 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
    • Counters

      Fatbirder's Top 1000 Birding Websites