Melanerpes erythrocephalus

If all birds wore contrasting colors like the Red-headed Woodpecker, identifying birds would be easy. You just can’t miss on this one—the red head and neck, white under parts, blue-black back and tail, black wings with a broad white patch. The young show a grayish-brown head but the white wing patch gives you the clue.

These beautiful birds once were common and nested from the Gulf of Mexico to the southern edge of some Canadian provinces. Recent years have shown a decline in their numbers, probably due to Starlings taking over their nesting cavities before the woodpeckers can rear their broods. Another factor is their destruction by speeding automobiles. These birds feed on flying insects, and often drop down on our highways in pursuit of grasshoppers. Motor cars and some drivers have no respect for wildlife, no matter how beautiful or beneficial.