Bird Guide

Acorn Woodpecker vs Red-bellied Woodpecker

Acorn Woodpecker (Melanerpes formicivorus)

Acorn Woodpecker

Melanerpes formicivorus

Medium80 gWoodland

The adult acorn woodpecker has a brownish-black head, back, wings and tail, white forehead, throat, belly and rump. The eyes are initially dark in fledglings, turning to white within a few months. There is a small part on the small of their backs where there are some greenish feathers. The bird is mostly black, with adult males have a red cap starting at the forehead, whereas females have a black area between the forehead and the cap. The white neck, throat, and forehead patches are distinctive identifiers. When flying, they take a few flaps of their wings and drop a foot or so.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Acorn Woodpecker
Recorded by Jonathon Jongsma · Call · McClellan Ranch Preserve, Santa Clara, California, United States · CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: marlin harms · CC BY 2.0
Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus)

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Melanerpes carolinus

Medium70 gWoodland

Adults are mainly light gray on the face and underparts; they have black and white barred patterns on their back, wings and tail. Adult males have a red cap going from the bill to the nape; females have a red patch on the nape and another above the bill. The reddish tinge on the belly that gives the bird its name is difficult to see in field identification. White patches become visible on the wings in flight. Red-bellied woodpeckers are 22.85 to 26.7 cm (9.00 to 10.51 in) long, have a wingspan of 38 to 46 cm (15 to 18 in), and weigh 2.0–3.2 oz (57–91 g). Voice: Red-bellied woodpeckers are noisy birds, and have many varied calls. Calls have been described as sounding like churr-churr-churr or thrraa-thrraa-thrraa with an alternating br-r-r-r-t sound. Males tend to call and drum more frequently than females, but both sexes call. The drum sounds like 6 taps. Often, these woodpeckers "drum" to attract mates.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Red-bellied Woodpecker
Recorded by Ryan Douglas · Sweepstakes Rd & Cutstail Dr (near Gaithersburg), Montgomery County, Maryland, United States · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Ken Thomas · Public domain

Where you might meet both

Learn this pair in the BeakBrain App

Photo and call practice. Coming soon to iPhone and Android.

Play today's Daily Bird

Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Acorn Woodpecker and Red-bellied Woodpecker.