A Red-bellied Woodpecker Overview

Yep, you read that right! Maybe one of the most oddly-named birds around. If you happen to get the right view and if you look for it hard enough, you will get to see where the name comes from.
Birds Walking Down:
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Music:
Campfire_Song by Chris Haugen via KZbin Royalty-free Music Audio Library
Intro Red-bellied Woodpecker:
Paul Marvin, XC197307. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/197307.
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0
background noise was reduced.
Photo used for Thumbnail:
Red-bellied Woodpecker By Jim Nelson via Canva.com under Free Media License Agreement with Canva Pro Subscription. The background has been changed from original
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#birds #birdwatching #birdphotography

[@LesleytheBirdNerd]

If you liked the video the best way to support the channel is by SHARING it with other fellow birders. For anyone interested in official LesleytheBirdNerd merchandise www.lesleythebirdnerd.com/ I appreciate each and every one of your support and I hope you enjoyed the show!

[@josephbailey4463]

These guys are reliable year-round visitors to my suet feeder. They are usually kind enough to alert me to their presence with their squawky call so that I can see them and not miss their visit. Such cordial neighbors!

[@EchotaisHealing]

That's so sweet of them!

[@dcav448]

Yes! It's like he's saying "Hey, I'm going to swing by for a snack, ok?"

[@georgettabusler6805]

I notice when one shows up at my feeder and starts his 'squawking' other woodpeckers show up- notably downy and hairy variety. It's like 'okay, guys, buffet is OPEN!'.

[@metalmamasue3680]

Absolutely, I love having them around. They're quite vocal about their presence and the males one call sounds like a small dog yapping. I have red bellys, downys and hairys all year round here in PA, north of Harrisburg. They enjoy the suet cakes more than the seeds but they do eat both. Enjoy your birds, I know I sure do. They're quite entertaining with their daily drama 😆

[@listarr4216]

The one that visits me kinda stays out of the way and squawk for food… It comes out a little more but gets the nuts and leave cuz it’s so much competition with other birds such as Blue Jays, Cardinals, and others

[@mostgreatfull]

They sure do love popcorn... ❤

[@sherryw.1466]

Ours...named Woody, of course, comes daily, and if a squirrel, or too many other birds are at our feeders and trays, he drills loudly on our gutters in frustration. I think he’s also trying to run them off with the loud noise. We love his personality!

[@jaybrown4753]

The ones in my neighborhood in western Suffolk county long island like hitting on our chimney covers.

[@EchotaisHealing]

Hahaha, I love that, so funny!

[@valeriet4114]

@@jaybrown4753 I am in Suffolk county too and get these on my suet feeder. Love their unique unmistakeable call. No drumming so far, thank goodness. Have a Carolina Wren who makes up for the noise with it's super-loud super-early morning chirp.

[@stonedecarlo5973]

...lol..I have a Woody2, lol n he beats on the gutter 2let me know he's there, and he drills the gutter until I get there, then i throw him the Walnuts he's there for !0! And there are a dozen Squirrels and a family of baby raccoons that come here regularly, along with the blackbirds sparrows n blue Jays n Cardinals,..its truly a Blessing

[@ericbitzer5247]

Beautiful birds God created!

[@Blaze6108]

If red-headed is already in use, red-capped might make sense. It's not their entire head that's red after all, just the upper part and the sides... like a baseball cap!

[@davidanderson3875]

Red capped is what I was thinking

[@thebluelunarmonkey]

red-capped would also describe the pileated woodpecker.

[@micahbirdlover8152]

red caped dose make sense ☝️

[@micahbirdlover8152]

I really think so too 😃 it suits it's name

[@kierank2505]

@@thebluelunarmonkey Perhaps red-capped is still easier to recognise as the Pileated is not really capped but definitely ‘crested’ and the red-bellied definitely seems to sport a ‘cap’ rather than crest.

[@jaybrown4753]

I bought what Leslie called a nest box for a bat home. These birds widened the hole and lived in there 2 yrs ago. Ingenuity at its best

[@loririnaldi3408]

I have a male that comes to my tree.closest to.my.house.almost daily. I hear his call.and go watch hime.come.down the tree to my suet. Love these birds!

[@fionaproctor6330]

We are fortunate to have northern flickers, downeys, hairys AND red bellied woodpeckers in our Niagara ravine. We are always excited when we hear the red bellied squack and see this bird come out of the pines to our peanut or suet feeders. When we see our red bellied woodpeckers someone in the house yells “BIG RED is here”.

[@thania2266]

Yay I have one ☝🏽 too that’s comes over to my backyard feeder

[@BaDArxz]

I love these little guys. They’re an uncommon, but wonderful sight back in Texas

[@dkroberts1163]

Love these guys and blessed to have them year round in my part of Texas!

[@reigen_arataka_fan9681]

@@dkroberts1163 same here

[@briansquibb999]

Red-capped Woodpecker may work for this beautiful bird. Thank you, Leslie!

[@aislinngraves4291]

We get these beauties in New Hampshire. They are very shy though.

[@wtglb]

Talk about a misnomer! I get them at my feeders at work, and believe me, even the Blue Jays give way to them 😆

[@klauskarbaumer6302]

I don't worry about their name, but I enjoy seeing them on my feeders.

[@Elizabeth-qg4dn]

April 29, 2023 I have these birds throughout the year. Wood peckers are fascinating. There are some lovely ones but the name and habits make it in my thoughts one of the more beautiful ones. Look at the graceful way she is around the head and neck. Gorgeous bird.

[@kelluth1]

Blood oranges. Lucky woodpeckers.

[@djosbun]

This is one of the best channels on KZbin. My son and I get exact when tbe notification pops up!

[@LesleytheBirdNerd]

How kind of you to say that. 🤗 I'm so glad you and your son enjoy seeing the videos pop up in your notifications. Thanks alot for watching.

[@annerawls2065]

These birds are year round visitors to my feeders. Love watching them.

[@dr.jiIIaIicecooper2587]

Woodpeckers are amazing And funny too

[@diannajepson8708]

I like your idea of the Zebra-backed woodpecker.😊

[@Rodzilla5332]

I’ve heard them misidentified as a zebra backed woodpecker as well. Even though Cornell Labs has no such description.

[@thebluelunarmonkey]

good one!

[@cme1027]

Sorry I know this about wood peckers.. but I just saw a hummingbird for the first time in person.. my thought this was so funny.. I'm from up north... he bought my a hummingbird feeder with nectar.. I see them everyday now!!!! Its my new obsession.. thank u for letting me share

[@wtglb]

I love them!!!

[@jhayneartoflife6830]

I love those woodpeckers! 🤗👍💙🦜

[@cdrone4066]

Im in NE PA, see them all the time, I even have the big guy. I saw a bluebird the other day, this spring has been great for the birds.

[@WellaWally65]

I’m so blessed to have them in my backyard! They’re so beautiful! They love Peanuts! Thank you so much for this beautiful video!

[@Oona707]

Looks a lot like a flicker. Cool video thank you

[@karenwitte6996]

I would call them the Bully Woodpecker. Lol! We have one and he IS King at my feeder! I even put seed on an old tree stump, which he seems to like a lot more, and he chases anyone else away til he is done eating. It's very entertaining!

[@andreamarin4296]

That is so funny! I have one or two that visit on and off but they doesn’t bully anyone. They seem very shy like my male cardinals!

[@PHILKOBY]

Same thing in central New Jersey they don’t let anybody eat until they’re done 😂 even though it’s the other side of the suet feeder they go around and give it a strike and they know he means business 😁

[@joekosciol2576]

Yup same here!❤

[@TheOvenbirder]

I’ve always thought “Red Mow-hawked Woodpecker” would be more appropriate!

[@LesleytheBirdNerd]

Haha! Omg that is good. I never saw the mohawk until you mentioned. I'll always see that now. Thanks for sharing that.

[@mariashaffer-gordon3561]

I think the pileated woodpeckers have more of a mohawk than the red bellies do.

[@CJC90909]

I love these guys. They always peck at grackles and starlings and keep them away. We always call the female Costanza because she has a hairline like a certain Seinfeld character...

[@SweetStuffOnMonarchLane]

Hahaha! That's hilarious! There's ALWAYS a Seinfeld reference for everything! Even though it was a show about nothing... 😆🤣😂

[@misifustres]

Lovely, indeed! They also have a distinctive cry. I had one in my backyard today (Texas)

[@jerryleroy9187]

nothing like your channel. It absolutely rocks.!!!

[@nancyfahey7518]

We love our red bellies. They have their funny little babies here. Florida

[@jonishepard5179]

I live in northern New York and I have them come to my feeders all the time.

[@CatsNChickens]

Im lucky enough to have red headed, red bellied and hairy woodpeckers that frequent my porch. Glad im not the only one who thinks the names are confusing lol.

[@cme1027]

I love woodpeckers . They are so beautiful

[@micahbirdlover8152]

me too😃

[@paullinsay115]

I get three different kinds of woodpeckers on my feeders here in Boston. The Downy is the smallest, then the Red Bellied, and the biggest is the Flicker which mostly feeds off the ground. They hang out here all year long and make a nice contrast to the boring brown house sparrows.

[@jaybrown4753]

On long island I get the red bellied and a bigger one that picks at any hills...is that the flicker?

[@jaybrown4753]

Sorry ant hills

[@johnyurick8785]

👍😎 yes Leslie zebra would be it 🇺🇸

[@lesliemoiseauthor]

I have a female who regularly visits my feeders. Thanks for educating us! Red capped woodpecker!

[@LesleytheBirdNerd]

Awesome and great name idea too. Thanks for the nice comment.

[@brendajolley4808]

I do so love all your videos which are packed full of information. Thank you so much.

[@sallyannmartinez2634]

I had to search for videos like these to learn more about what type of woodpecker I saw today. Seems like a Red Bullied Woodpecker area of Miramar, Florida. Felt blessed to have a chance to see one.

[@sammyvh11]

Central PA is loaded with them. Wonderful birds.

[@ginaevans7544]

Yay!! I've been feeding birds for just a short time, and have been amazed at the varieties attracted to my simple feeding setup. Today, for the first time, I had one of these handsome fellows visit. I'm so excited! :D

[@communistvulture6516]

I get these here in New Jersey. My resident male Casimir loves to drum on the transformers. I call them Red-Naped Woodpeckers, but your idea of Zebra-Backed Woodpecker is definitely a good candidate!

[@LesleytheBirdNerd]

Haha too funny. I had a Male northern flicker who would do the same thing. 😆 red-naped is a really good name.

[@schnder1]

We currently have a male visiting us in Idaho. I had to look up to discover the name of this woodpecker. He was drilling into our siding until he discovered our homemade suet feeders. I slanted one against the branches so he could easily feed without hanging on since he is much bigger than the other birds. The all seem to get along. The smaller birds just fly up and stare as if to say "When are you going to be done?" There are three other fresh feeders for them to share. Seems to be working out well for everyone. We are enjoying the sudden bird watching that has come our way before the snow melts. Thank you for the informative video.

[@BirdsNatureTravel]

Beautiful woodpecker..thanks for sharing the information

[@raybassman7536]

Red capped woodpecker ...then it would not infringe on the red headed. Thanks Lesley for the video, I have red bellys at my flat feeder every day here in Florida south of Tampa Bay. The thing that surprised me in the last 2 springs is, for about a week I had beautiful Red breasted Grosebeeks. It was a blessing to have them as they worked their way back up north.

[@JamestheBartholemeu]

Again Leslie, you've produced another classic documentary. Thank you.

[@lilcs3011]

I love my woodpeckers here in Florida.

[@ighconsulting]

Hi this is Linda in Central Florida- Ocala😊 thanks so much for this video! I agree with your name as the zebra striped back woodpecker as I could never figure out why they were called the red-bellied either. These are very prevalent in my area in Central Florida as well as the Red-headed Woodpecker, which is one of my most favorite Birds. If you can actually see them- the redheaded woodpecker- in Flight-the way the color pattern is on their wings with that brilliant redhead-it is a sight to behold🙏they are beautiful😊thanks so much again:-)

[@LesleytheBirdNerd]

Hi, I can just imagine what the red-headed woodpecker looks like in flight. Such a striking woodpecker. Thanks for your lovely comment. Have a great weekend

[@micahbirdlover8152]

@@LesleytheBirdNerd do ever see great blue heron 🤔

[@douglascalhoun6471]

I know they are as far north as central New York. I have been enjoying them for a few years. A very talkative bird. You can hear them before you will see them.

[@stevehorn646]

Hello Lesley. Maybe you can do a video on protecting habitat. Identification of nesting trees (dead Birches). I'm starting a homestead and watching your videos I look for all signs before cutting trees

[@ThaGlittersAintGold]

Woodpeckers are definitely my favorite group of birds. Pileated, downys, flickers, and red bellies are so cool! Fun story here: my dad used to call us “yellow bellied sapsuckers” as kids when he was trying to be funny. It wasn’t until maybe a month after getting my first Peterson field guide (6th edition) that I discovered that they’re a member of the woodpecker family. The nostalgia that kicked in made the discovery that much more fun. I swear, the wonders of birding never cease to amaze me. Thanks for all you do on the channel, Lesley :)

[@_Creaux]

commenting before watching because i know this is already gonna be a banger. much love lesley

[@LesleytheBirdNerd]

🤗 Aww, how of kind of you. Thank you 🐦

[@BirdsandGhibliFan]

I love your profile picture, too, Elliott. 😁🐦

[@AniFam]

This bird is very attractive~ I prefer the Zebra-backed Woodpecker to the Red-bellied Woodpecker…💯❣️ Thank you for sharing this informative video! 🤗👍 🔆AniFam〽️

[@norayelton4034]

We have a family of them living near my house. We feed them every day and I must say that I love seeing them! They are BEAUTIFUL!.

[@Happywife226]

I like their colors and they are entertaining to watch.

[@oystercreek9]

We see them year round in central Vermont. They love the suet. I like to think that we are helping them expand north.

[@dottiepark]

Always exciting to see the woodpeckers in the back yard!

[@matthew-jy5jp]

Beautiful brid.

[@UncleMike81]

A few stop by my house fairly often bc I feed the blues peanuts. 💙 Very smart birds. One is still scared of me and will use his wings to blow off peanuts off my window ceil. Beautiful birds ❤️

[@caroline6218]

Scarlet woodpecker would be a cool name.

[@sandrabenner5698]

Love your videos Leslie! As to a name: a combination. Red headed Zebra back.

[@LesleytheBirdNerd]

That is another good name. There has been a few great suggestions in the comments. Thanks for sharing yours.

[@randyhickman604]

We have them at our feeders here in indiana

[@jamesnauert7844]

We have a male that visits our feeder every day, he’s my favorite bird to watch.

[@MsSasha4444]

What a wonderful year round guest to my oil sunflower and suet feeders. I can also hear them on trees hiding seeds and digging for insects.

[@shoshoncaligula5512]

I love these guys, the way they perch side ways on my deck and peck at my suet feeders

[@chipper841]

Thanks for link to the person who supplied the help. Yes, this is what I call a red headed Woodpecker but you cleared me from doing THAT!👍👍

[@classicrocker7440]

I had one visit me yesterday, he was enjoying the food in the bird feeder.

[@scottbernard8824]

Woodpeckers have four talons; two in the front and two in the back, which help them grab the tree trunk and stay vertical.

[@BirdsandGhibliFan]

They have zygodactyl feet, much like their distant cousins, toucans.

[@jamiejudd7146]

I love these guys. We have a male & female who frequent our feeders here in NW Pennsylvania. Our land is a perfect environment for them, as we have wild grapes & berries in Summer & a fair amount of dead woods. They're so beautiful though. Their growing up juvenile has just begun coming around as well. The Dad though, he's a bit of a bully but we still adore him.

[@denniscoleman2392]

One of my fav. A magnificent bird.

[@Terri_Stauffer]

I have a red bellied woodpecker visiting me daily in the Catskills mountains in NY. My mother saw him and said there is a woodpecker with a red head at suet. I said that is the red bellied woodpecker, at which she said what red belly. thank you for clearing up the name as the red belly is so hard to notice. You might have also cleared up my hummingbird feeder issue, I fill up feeder and all the food disappears before end of day. I did catch him sitting on top of feeder never though he might be trying to get the food. Love your name of zebra backed woodpecker, more appropriate. He is also friendly does not fly away so quickly when he sees me.

[@finnwiggles28]

Is there already a 'Red-naped' woodpecker? Or 'Red-necked' Woodpecker would be hilarious! Thank you for featuring one of my favorites, they're at my bird-feeder daily; but never saw them as a kid, so glad they're doing well and expanding.

[@joeytofil2259]

Male yellow bellied sapsuckers do have very red necks :)

[@stevehorn646]

Thanks Terry 🙂

[@nerine9301]

I love these guys. I've seen them everywhere from Florida to Central Ohio. I used to put suet out for them but they like peanuts better so I just put those out. Also lots of sunflower seeds, black oilers and the striped mammoth ones. They like those too.😁

[@neildbarker]

Really interesting and I thought the same thing about their name. We've been lucky here in the Ottawa area as there seem to be a few resident Red-bellied Woodpeckers seen regularly. I nominate a new name to be Red-crowned Woodpecker - more along the same lines as the Black-crowned Night Heron. :)

[@LesleytheBirdNerd]

Red-crowned, that's a really good name. I like it. Pretty awesome about you having these guys in your area.

[@tommurphree5630]

A guy a few comments up suggested red capped . Both yours and his seem worthy contenders .

[@billyschannel997]

You can really see their red belly when they are feathered out. I have both red bellied and red-headed in my area.

[@annabobanaasmr8411]

We have tons of them here in North Texas. Sooo cute. They're more noticeable in winter though

[@donpowlen]

Thanks Lesley!! I see these beautiful birds in my backyard very often. They love suet.

[@deydraniadiancecht8298]

5:20 Thank you for that bit about Nuthatches. We have a group of nuthatches that will visit every now and then and take whole peanuts in the shell. The nut is almost a third of their own length and yet they will carry them away anyway! They will peck a hole in the shell and then use that hole to grip it in their beak to carry it off. It's so cute! Since they do this, we have never been able to watch them eat it so I was very happy to see that in this video!

[@LesleytheBirdNerd]

Haha! I know don't they look funny going off with peanuts?! Everything they do seems to be adorable. Glad you enjoyed getting to see them eat in this video. Thanks for the nice comment

[@MrBwingram]

Beautiful.thanks for sharing

[@serenegreene6984]

I have one that visits my back yard. I can totally see his red belly. He's beautiful. After watching this video, I know he's a HE. Thanks Lesley!

[@rosiethurman7900]

I have one that comes to my feeders nearly everyday

[@152leroy]

We have a new feeder in our backyard, and our RHW hangs out nearby, visiting the feeder often. I love his squawky call and his quick movements from his favorite tree to the feeder. He is a most welcome guest! Although, it’s really HIS home and we are the visitors.

[@yesnomaybe1220]

I love the call before arrival. They let you get your camera ready! Our resident is a little hesitant to really show themselves off. I have a couple little videos of interactions. Always the same path ------ to the Oak tree...scale down to check the suet....see me, fly up....go to box grab a peanut and take it to the same broken branch. then they leave for a few hours. Always let us know they are there. Most distinct call in the yard!

[@jbojm9]

Red-bellied woodpeckers are fairly common in SC where I live but I never get tired of watching them. Great video!

[@photoboyjet]

We have several Red-bellied woodpeckers that visit our yard regularly (Richmond, Virginia). I call one of them, Peanut Girl because she prefers peanuts to the suet that the other woodpeckers eat. Peanut Girl goes straight to the seed feeders and digs through the various seeds, tossing them away until she finds a peanut. Once she snags one, she flies off into the trees to eat it. She will return and repeat this performance several times each morning. If I put out the red pepper flavored suet, she will grab a chunk of that and fly off with it.

[@typoclerk]

Another terrific birder video.. you're the best Leslie. Narration skills are Top Shelf!

[@lanebashford3982]

We have a pair of them on our patio every morning for the past week. I've seen these birds before but rarely. They're lovely. Also have pileated woodpeckers at different times of the year. They are way bigger.

[@MsCathysmith444]

I have these in my yard. They are gorgeous! I love your channel. You do a great job & I like your voice. It’s nice to know others talk to the birds like I do. 💚💚💚

[@Yarnlife417]

We recently saw the very first one of these guys at our house after 5 years here. I couldn’t believe how big he is compared to the smaller woodpeckers and the sparrows/finches/cardinals that we consider our regulars. What BEAUTIFUL birds they are.

[@briant2842]

I enjoyed watching red bellied wood peckers at the feeders this past winter in central Massachusetts. The loved the peanuts and dried fruit.

[@janderson565]

I have a regular red bellied that comes around everytime I give my crows peanuts. Him and the swarm of blue jays are always first on the scene. He takes no flack from the jays when they try to confront him.

[@JimmyDew_]

These beauties always let me know when they arrive❤

[@cobythebirdnerd3790]

Love these guys! Thanks for sharing Lesley! I never really understood why they called them that.

[@gettingold59]

Amazing way to start long weekend. Thanks Miss Nerd. I have lots of these guys around my Ottawa area home

[@LesleytheBirdNerd]

🤗 awe thank you. Enjoy the long weekend. 🐦

[@sandtats]

Lucky to have red bellied and downy woodpeckers, along with northern flickers as regular residents. The woodpeckers love chowing down on the orioles' grape jelly, oranges and blackberries, in addition to black oil sunflower seeds at our platform feeder. But by far their favorite is suet! Half our large backyard (which backs up to conservation land) is wooded, with many small, fallen trees. Woodpecker heaven here on Cape Cod!😃

[@t-bonebassmaster5191]

Great videos. Very discriptive and to the point. (Educational). Thanks. 👍👍👍👍

[@jimmyshrimbe9361]

They're so beautiful and amazing!

[@fareebug8439]

Wow, this was great! Some of those tongue and saliva pics 😳 incredible photos and videos too! ❤️ Just really great - so glad folks contribute to this from all over, just wondering seeing this footage. I learn so much.

[@espaints]

I travel with my husband for work so I have the privilege of seeing different birds from all over the country and I enjoy learning about them. I had never seen a red bellied woodpecker until we were in the great lakes region. I started out trying to attract the blue jays and one day this beautiful woodpecker showed up. I spooked him the first day but patience paid off and I was able to get a video of him and I researched his kind online. We also have a hairy woodpecker pair (they've been too illusive to catch on video or pics) that until I watched your video on the Downy Woodpecker I wasn't sure which one it was... I'm very new to birding. I don't know how to share the video of my backyard red bellied woodpecker friend but I enjoy watching all of your bird videos.