Woodpecker Nest, 2 A pair of Red-headed Woodpeckers (Melanerpes erythrocephalus) spent most of May and June concentrated on their nest in a cavity in a dead pine. Preferring to be at a distance from humans, this woodpecker is primarily a forest bird. I found them in a rural area by going down an unpaved service road. Habitat of the Red-headed Woodpecker Cavity is less than 3 inches wide. Nest cavity is about 30 feet above ground The bold patterning of this bird makes it very conspicuous. Males and females look exactly the same. Although it seemed as if I was watching only a single bird each time I visited the site, it’s likely that both parents were tending the nest. Hunting for food to feed the young occupied the parents during their time away from the nest. Caught a grasshopper. Carrying food in bill. They also spent time in another hole higher up the same tree. After two months of watching this nest cavity, I finally caught sight of a head peeking out of the opening. There were lots of nestlings inside. Here’s a juvenile, fledged and independent. It will keep this drab coloration through the fall and much of the winter. A few more photographs of the adult Red-headed Woodpecker... Red-headed Woodpecker Sometimes calld “Shirt-tail Bird” The woodpecker plays an important role in Longfellow’s epic poem, The Song of Hiawatha. The Mohawk hero, Hiawatha, engaged in combat with his enemy for an entire day without success. Toward evening a woodpecker flew overhead and cried, “Your enemy has but one vulnerable point. Shoot at his scalp-lock.” Hiawatha did exactly that and killed his enemy. Grateful, he dipped his finger in the blood of his foe, touching the bird’s head and turning the feathers red. Here are more posts about woodpeckers… Woodpecker Nest, 1 >>Two Woodpeckers and a Sapsucker >> Please follow and like: Share this:FacebookXLike this:Like Loading... Post navigation Woodpecker Nest, 1A Dove’s Nest