Red-headed Woodpecker

Overview
Red-headed Woodpecker: Medium-sized woodpecker with black upperparts and tail, and white underparts and rump. The head, throat, and upper breast are dark red. Wings are black with large white patches. Bill, legs and feet are black. This is the only woodpecker in the east with a completely red head.

Range and Habitat
Red-headed Woodpecker: Breeds from Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Quebec south to Florida and the Gulf Coast; scarce in northeastern states. Spends winters in southern part of breeding range.

The Red-headed Woodpecker has a large range, inhabiting much of the eastern half of the United States. Native to the United States and Canada, this bird prefers temperate, subtropical, or tropical forest and grassland ecosystems as well as savannas and even rural and urban areas. The global population of this bird is not specifically quantified but shows significant and rapid signs of decline that necessitate inclusion on the IUCN Red List. For this reason, the current evaluation status of the Red-headed Woodpecker is Near Threatened.

INTERESTING FACTS
The Red-headed Woodpecker forages for food rather than excavate holes to find insects. It is the only woodpecker that covers its cache of food with bark or wood. Grasshoppers are stored alive, wedged so tightly in a crevice escape is impossible. This bird was featured on a United States Postal Service 2-cent stamp in 1996. A group of woodpeckers has many collective nouns, including a "descent", "drumming", and "gatling" of woodpeckers.