Red-headed Woodpeckers: Texas’ Tricolored Treasures

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Red-headed Woodpeckers: Texas’ Tricolored Treasures

Look up into the trees around your Texas home, and you might spot one of our state’s most striking birds – a flash of crimson, snow white, and glossy black moving through the branches. This is the Red-headed Woodpecker (Melanerpes erythrocephalus), whose bold tricolored pattern makes it one of Texas’ most eye-catching woodland residents.

What Do Red-headed Woodpeckers Look Like?

These stunning birds wear their colors with unmistakable flair. Their entire head glows with brilliant crimson red, as vivid as a Texas sunset. This dramatic head transitions sharply to a pristine white body that seems to gleam in the sunlight. Their back feathers shine with glossy black, and their wings display bold white patches, creating a mesmerizing “flying checkerboard” pattern when they take to the air. At 9-10 inches long with a wingspan ranging from 16 to 18 inches, they’re perfectly sized to catch the eye without overwhelming the landscape.

Young birds start life wearing subtle gray-brown heads until they develop their adult plumage. This transformation can begin as early as February, with birds reaching full adult plumage by spring when breeding season peaks between April and June. Unlike many bird species, male and female Red-headed Woodpeckers share the same striking appearance, making every adult bird equally spectacular.

Where Do Red-headed Woodpeckers Live?

In Texas, these beautiful birds are found in suitable habitats across eastern and central regions of the state, wherever mature woodlands exist. They particularly favor areas with native Texas trees like Live Oaks, Pecans, and American Sycamores, which provide both food and nesting sites. You might spot them in:

• Open woodlands with scattered large trees
• Park-like settings
• Golf courses
• Forest edges
• Farms with mature trees
• Areas with hardwood stands

What Do Red-headed Woodpeckers Eat?

These colorful Texas residents are as versatile as they are beautiful. Like other woodpeckers, they use their strong bills to probe tree bark and wood for insects. However, Red-headed Woodpeckers are unique among their relatives, frequently catching insects in flight and foraging in various ways. You might see them gleaning insects from tree surfaces, catching them in mid-air, or probing into bark, showing their adaptability in finding food.

Their varied menu includes flying insects, acorns, beech nuts, wild and cultivated fruits, insects found on and under tree bark (like beetles and larvae), and small invertebrates or occasional vertebrates like small amphibians or nestlings. In Texas, they often feed on acorns from native oaks and pecans, making these trees particularly important to their survival.

How Do Red-headed Woodpeckers Help Texas Ecosystems?

These striking birds contribute to our Texas landscapes in multiple ways. They help control insect populations and assist in forest renewal through their habit of caching acorns and nuts. Their presence adds both visual beauty and ecological value to our Texas environments.

Family Life and Behavior

While solitary most of the year, these colorful birds pair up during breeding season. They create homes in dead trees or limbs, with males typically doing most of the cavity excavation. Both parents then share the duties of:

• Completing the nest cavity
• Incubating 4-5 eggs for 12-13 days
• Raising their young

After about 27-30 days, young woodpeckers emerge from their nests. These juveniles will later add their own splash of color to Texas skies.

Living with Red-headed Woodpeckers

To help preserve these Texas treasures in your area:

• Preserve dead trees when safe to do so
• Maintain mature trees, especially native oaks and pecans
• Keep some open areas in wooded landscapes
• Consider planting native fruit and nut-bearing trees that provide natural food sources

Conservation Concerns

These beautiful birds face several challenges, including habitat loss, competition for nesting sites, and changes in food availability. Populations have shown significant declines throughout the twentieth century, continuing today due to these pressures. While protected under federal law as a migratory bird, they continue to face threats from:

• Loss of standing dead trees
• Competition for nest sites
• Changes in food availability
• Habitat loss

The Red-headed Woodpecker’s striking tricolored pattern makes it one of Texas’s most distinctive birds. Their presence enriches our state’s natural heritage, adding both beauty to our landscapes and vital services to our ecosystems. While their bold colors make them easy to spot, it’s their combination of beauty and ecological importance that truly makes them one of Texas’s natural treasures.

If you found this information about Red-headed Woodpecker interesting, check out our other posts on our TrueTreeTalk blog. Follow us on Facebook to keep up with these and other posts. Check out our list of blog posts grouped by topic for more to read.  Also check out our posts about Blue Jays, Golden-Cheeked Warblers, and American Crows to learn about other birds.

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ArborTrue is a science-based tree service company in the greater Houston area. We also serve Austin and other parts of Central Texas. We provide a range of services including tree trimming, tree pruning, tree removal, tree planting, arborist consultations, and more. Call us today at 832-980-8733 (Houston) or at 512-546-3833 (Austin) or reach out to us online to schedule an appointment.