Mostly images of birds found in our region of Northampton County, NC.
(Image above is Potecasi Creek at Burnt Bridges)

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Red-bellied Woodpecker

The Red-bellied Woodpecker, Melanerpes carolinus, is a pretty common woodpecker throughout the region.  I have a hard time catching them at a decent angle since they are usually high up in one of our pine trees, but this one happened to pose for me in a maple tree only about 30 feet up.  This one is a male, differentiated from the female by the red going over the top of his  head, where the female just has red on the nape of the neck.  The name is derived from a faint red belly, but it is often so faint as to seem white or ivory colored.

1 comment:

  1. Great shot. All of your photos are beautiful. I would love to base a painting on one of your photos.

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