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The red-headed woodpecker, Melanerpes erythrocephalus, is up to 10 inches long with a wingspread of 16-18 inches. Its entire head, neck and upper breast are a bright red, with bluish-black wings and tail, and large areas of white on the rear part of the wings and the upper rump, especially noticeable in flight. Although the red-headed woodpecker rarely drills into trees for insects, it does drill into dead wood looking for grubs, and drills a cavity 8-24 inches deep in dead trees, about 5-80 feet above ground for its nesting holes. The entrance to these holes is 1 3/4 inches in diameter and can sometimes be found under roofs of houses, in fence posts, in utility poles and in natural cavities. In the late 19th century, it was not uncommon in the Northeast United States to see a red-headed woodpecker dart from its treetop perch to grab a flying insect, or to hear the bird steadily drilling a nesting hole in a dead or dying tree. Its numbers declined, however, after the aggressive European starling was introduced to the United States in the 1890s. The starlings compete with the red-headed woodpecker for its nesting holes, frequently driving them from their homes. Also contributing to the decline of the red-headed woodpecker are the increased removal of dead trees from its habitat of open country, farms, park-like woodlands and golf courses, and the advent of automobiles, which strike the birds as they swoop low across roadways to catch flying insects. Despite these threats, the red-headed woodpecker still ranges from Central Canada south to New Mexico, Texas and the Gulf Coast. Technical Details
Original information from USPS
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