It has been fun to see our Red-headed Woodpeckers fairly often during the late spring and early summer.

I googled this bird and learned a few fun facts about them. They are One of the most skillful flycatchers among the North American woodpecker species.

One-third of their diet is insects and two-thirds is plant materials (fruit, nuts, and seeds).

They are the only North American woodpecker to store food and cover it with wood or bark.

The Red-headed Woodpecker that visited your yard last year is probably not the same one you are seeing this year. The birds tend to be very nomadic and prefer to differ their breeding location year-after-year.

Maybe that explains why we only began seeing them in the last few years.

The other day one was feeding just outside our kitchen window, because I had a great opportunity for closeups, these last three pictures are my favorite in this post.

Red-headed Woodpeckers can be found nesting in dead trees and cavities in dead parts of living trees. Although both partners build a nest, the male woodpecker is the dominant craftsman.

Speaking of mates, Red-headed Woodpeckers prefer to play “hide and seek” with potential partners as they dart around stumps, branches, and trees: once a mate is chosen, woodpeckers remain monogamous for a few consecutive years.

With a bright-red head, white underparts, and black backs, these feathered fowl are easily identifiable whether they are deep in a forest or hanging out on trees roadside.