In our neighborhood, we have a lot of old trees which attract several different kinds of woodpeckers. The Red Bellied Woodpecker is a beauty! As I didn’t notice the red belly at first, I thought why isn’t it called a red headed woodpecker!
Appearance: The male and female have black and white striped wings and a little bit of red on their bellies. The male has a red crown which goes from its beak down to its neck. The male is about 9 inches long and has a wing span of 17 inches. The female has a grey crown with red going down its neck.
Feeding Habits: Red Bellied Woodpeckers love suet, nuts, fruit and insects. As for insects, they really like beetles, grasshoppers and ants. The couple that visits our feeders typically go for the suet in a suet feeder or sunflower chips in a tube feeder.
Nesting Habits:Â These woodpeckers excavate a tree cavity for its nest.
Eggs:  Red Bellied Woodpeckers typically lay 4 to 5 eggs one time during the season in the north. In the south, they will typically lay two sets of eggs.
Migration:Â In Pittsburgh, the Red Bellied Woodpecker does not migrate and visits us year round.
