The Red-headed Woodpecker

Nov 13, 2022 Interesting Creatures in Guyana, News

Interesting Creature…

By Shervin Belgrave

Kaieteur News – This week we will learn about the Red-headed Woodpecker, a bird that takes vacations in Guyana and one that plays ‘hide and seek’ during the mating season.

The Red-woodpecker

The bird’s scientific name is Melanerpes and it is one of 22 species of woodpeckers. Like its common name, Red-headed Woodpecker suggests, adults have a bright red head and neck that can be spotted from afar. The rest of their body is black, along with white-black feathers on its back with patches on their wings and a pure white underpart. They have strong spike-like bills that are used to drill through the bark of trees and short stiff tails.

Chicks are quite different in appearance sporting grey-brown heads with rows of black specks trailing towards the tail.

Red-headed woodpeckers can grow up to 25 centimetres in length and are considered to be medium-sized when compared to other species of woodpeckers.

They are also native to northern countries such as Canada, the United States and Mexico.

A red-head woodpecker chick.

However, what makes this bird interesting is that when the winter season steps in, it opts for a vacation and would fly south to Guyana and other South American countries where it is warm.

Another interesting feature is its strange behaviour and courtship during mating season. The male Red-headed Woodpecker would call and drum to attract a female. When she comes they would ‘ketch play’ before mating by engaging in a game of ‘hide and seek’ around tree stumps and tall trees.

Once the mating ritual is over, the female would choose a spot on a tree to build a nest and the male get to work by using his beak to drill and carve out a cavity inside for her to lay her eggs.

She lays some four to seven eggs during the month of May and incubates them for two weeks during the day, while the male stands guard at night. After hatching, both parents take care of the young until they are old enough to fly, which typically occurs around 27 to 31 days later.

As it relates to their diet, these birds are omnivores and consume a variety of foods, such as insects, seeds, fruits, berries, nuts, and, on rare occasions, small rodents, and even other birds’ eggs. They are known for stashing food underneath tree barks in small holes and crevices carved out in the tree.

If you like bird-watching and want to get a glimpse of the Red-headed Woodpecker, they can be found in savannahs and open woodlands.

Source of information:

(Red- Headed Woodpecker: The Woodpecker That Vacations In Guyana – Things Guyana)

(https://animalia.bio/red-headed-woodpecker)

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red-headed_woodpecker)

(https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-headed_Woodpecker/id)