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Red-bellied Woodpecker
Melanerpes carolinus
Audubon Illustration
John James Audubon, Birds of America (1827-1838). Public domain.
Range & Recent Observations
Last Spotted Near You
About the Red-bellied Woodpecker
The red-bellied woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus) is a medium-sized woodpecker of the family Picidae. It breeds mainly in the eastern United States, ranging as far south as Florida and as far north as Canada. Though it has a vivid orange-red crown and nape it is not to be confused with the red-headed woodpecker, a separate species of woodpecker in the same genus with an entirely red head and neck that sports a solid black back and white belly. The red-bellied earns its name from the pale reddish tint on its lower underside.
Source: Wikipedia
Classification
- Scientific name
- Melanerpes carolinus
- Family
- Woodpeckers
- Order
- Piciformes
Similar species
Other members of the woodpeckers family recorded in North America — a useful place to start if you are not certain of your identification.
- Acorn Woodpecker Melanerpes formicivorus
- American Three-toed Woodpecker Picoides dorsalis
- Arizona Woodpecker Leuconotopicus arizonae
- Black-backed Woodpecker Picoides arcticus
- Black-cheeked Woodpecker Melanerpes pucherani
- Chestnut-colored Woodpecker Celeus castaneus
- Downy Woodpecker Dryobates pubescens
- Eurasian Wryneck Jynx torquilla
- Gila Woodpecker Melanerpes uropygialis
- Gilded Flicker Colaptes chrysoides
- Golden-cheeked Woodpecker Melanerpes chrysogenys
- Golden-fronted Woodpecker Melanerpes aurifrons
Know when the Red-bellied Woodpecker turns up near you
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Optics
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Cameras
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