Breeding pairs do not appear to stay together for more than one season. Mutual tapping (when the male and female tap together) is one way that pairs communicate, especially when selecting the nest site. Males attract females with a combination of tapping on trees and other objects, making "kwirr" calls, and drumming. Breeding pairs form any time from early winter to late spring. Red-bellied woodpeckers seem to be monogamous (one male mates with one female). Range elevation 900 (high) m 2952.76 (high) ft.These animals are found in the following types of habitat.They usually live below 600 m elevation, but can be found at up to 900 m in the Apalachian mountains. They prefer old forests with large hardwood trees, but they can also live in mixed pine-hardwood forests, mesic pine flatwoods, bottomlands where there are lots of trees, swampy woods, and riparian forests. Their range extends east from the wooded portion of the Great Plain states to the Atlantic coast and from the Gulf of Mexico to southern portions of Ontario and northern Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, and New York. Red-bellied woodpeckers are found in the eastern half of the United States. ( "Chipper Woods Bird Observatory: Red Bellied Woodpecker", 2001 Shackelford, et al., 2000) Unlike many birds, red-bellied woodpeckers do not change at all in color throughout the year. They also don't have any red color on their heads. Young red-bellied woodpeckers look similar to adults, but they have a horn-colored bill. This foot arrangement helps them to climb upright up tree trunks. Their feet are zygodactylous (two toes forward, two toes back), unlike most birds (but like all other members of the Piciformes) which have three toes forward and one toe back. Both males and females have thick, black straight bills and dark gray legs and feet. Females have red only on the their necks. Male red-bellied woodpeckers have a bright red cap from their forehead to the base of their neck. Their face and the rest of their belly are a dull grayish color. Two characteristics that distinguish red-bellied woodpeckers from woodpeckers are the black and white zebra stripe pattern on their backs, and their red belly (which is actually just a very small patch on their underside). Males are about 8-9% larger, on average, than females. Adults weigh about 72.5 grams (range 56 to 91 g), and are 22.9 to 26.7 cm long. Red-bellied woodpeckers are medium sized birds with a distinctive black-and-white patterned back and a long, chisel-shaped bill.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |