# Red-headed Woodpecker

*Melanerpes erythrocephalus*

They are the only woodpecker species known to cover their stored food with pieces of bark or wood to hide it from potential thieves.

- **Taxonomy:** Animalia › Chordata › Aves › Piciformes › Picidae › Melanerpes
- **IUCN Red List status:** Least Concern
- **Population trend:** stable
- **Biome:** forest
- **Habitat:** Open deciduous forests, oak savannas, groves, orchards, and suburban parks with mature trees.
- **Diet:** Omnivorous; feeds on flying insects, acorns, beech nuts, berries, and occasionally small vertebrates or eggs.
- **Range:** Eastern United States, Central United States, Southern Canada
- **Size:** 19-25 cm length; 42-43 cm wingspan
- **Lifespan:** 9-12 years
- **Active:** diurnal
- **Threats:** Loss of nesting habitat due to the removal of dead trees (snags) and competition for cavities with invasive European Starlings.
- **Safe to approach?:** Harmless and skittish. Observe from a distance of at least 20 feet to avoid disrupting their foraging or nesting. If you find an injured bird, do not handle it; contact a local licensed wildlife rehabilitator.

## About

The red-headed woodpecker ( Melanerpes erythrocephalus ) is a small or medium-sized woodpecker from temperate North America. Their breeding habitat is open country across southern Canada and the eastern-central United States. The species is listed as Near Threatened by the IUCN.

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/762f6583-3bc6-4cc8-96cf-97952be7697a
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/18204
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melanerpes erythrocephalus
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/48557520/medium.jpeg (Louise Woodrich, CC-BY, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.