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 red-headed woodpecker was one of the many species originally described by linnaeus in his 18th-century work systema naturae .
the specific epithet is derived from the ancient greek words erythros 'red' and kephalos 'head' .
there are three subspecies recognized:adults are strikingly tri-colored , with a black back and tail and a red head and neck .
their underparts are mainly white .
the wings are black with white secondary remiges .
adult males and females are identical in plumage .
juveniles have very similar markings , but have an all grey head .
while red-bellied woodpeckers have some bright red on the backs of their necks and heads , red-headed woodpeckers have a much deeper red that covers their entire heads and necks , as well as a dramatically different overall plumage pattern .
these are mid-sized woodpeckers .
both sexes measure from 19 to 25 cm (7.5 to 9.8 in) in length , with a wingspan of 42.5 cm (16.7 in) .
they weigh from 56 to 97 g (2.0 to 3.4 oz) with an average of 76 g (2.7 oz) .
each wing measures 12.715 cm (5.05.9 in), the tail measures 6.68.5 cm (2.63.3 in), the bill measures 2.13 cm (0.831.18 in) and the tarsus measures 1.92.5 cm (0.750.98 in) .
the maximum longevity in the wild is 9.9 years .
they give a tchur-tchur call or drum on territory .
these birds fly to catch insects in the air or on the ground , forage on trees or gather and store nuts .
they are omnivorous , eating insects , seeds , fruits , berries , nuts , and occasionally even the eggs of other birds .
about two thirds of their diet is made up of plants .
they nest in a cavity in a dead tree , utility pole , or a dead part of a tree that is between 8 and 80 feet (2.5 to 25 m) above the ground .
they lay four to seven eggs in early may which are incubated for two weeks .
two broods can be raised in a single nesting season .
northern birds migrate to the southern parts of the range , with most having arrived on the breeding range by late april , and having left for winter quarters by late october; southern birds are often permanent residents .
the red-headed woodpecker is a once common but declining bird species found in southern canada and east-central united states .
consistent long-term population declines have resulted in red-headed woodpecker's threatened status in canada and several states in the us .
this has led to an immediate need for conservation , which , so far , has been the focus of limited studies .
throughout most of its range it inhabits areas that have been heavily altered by humans .
factors suggested for red-headed woodpecker declines include: loss of overall habitat and , within habitats , standing dead wood required for nest sites , limitations of food supply , and possible nest-site competition with other cavity nesters such as european starlings or red-bellied woodpeckers .
unfortunately few of these factors have been substantiated .
of the 600 canadian important bird areas only seven report the red-headed woodpecker in their area: cabot head , ontario on the georgian bay side of the tip of bruce peninsula; carden plain , ontario east of lake simcoe; long point peninsula and marshes , ontario along lake erie near london , ontario; point abino , ontario on lake erie near niagara falls; port franks forested dunes , ontario northeast of sarnia on lake huron; kinosota/leifur , manitoba at the northwest side of lake manitoba south of the narrows and east of riding mountain national park; and along south saskatchewan river from empress , alberta to lancer ferry in saskatchewan .
