RED-HEADED WOODPECKER (Melanerpes erythrocephalus)

At 9 inches or so in length, this is a medium-sized woodpecker which occurs in the eastern states.

The red-head isn’t really common even in its announced range, although it’s easy to spot when it is working the neighborhood. It likes open, deciduous woods, parklike spaces, and is fond of cities where old trees line the streets. Like all its clan, its diet of harmful grubs, beetles, and other insects makes it a desirable bird, and the small amounts of fruit and acorns it eats are never missed.

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