Hello again, and happy Saturday! Do you have some outdoor time scheduled this weekend? Are you ready for summer? Ready or not, it’s quickly approaching!
Last week’s puzzler was a handsome bird called a red-bellied woodpecker. Most of the time it’s really difficult to see that it has red on it’s belly, so it’s not the best name. But red-headed woodpecker was already taken–by a bird whose ENTIRE HEAD looks like it was dipped in red paint. The red-bellied woodpecker on the otherhand only has red on the back of its head and down its back, as if it were wearing a red cap.
Here is the difference:
Red-bellied woodpeckers will visit backyard feeders, be those suet or traditional seed feeders. They are quite striking when you get to see them close up.
The bird pictured in the puzzler was a FEMALE red-bellied woodpecker. Males have red that extends all the way up over their heads, to their bills.
Red-bellied woodpeckers have long, sticky tongues that are barbed. This helps them grab insects and other invertebrates. They also eat acorns, berries, fruit and seeds. At just over ten inches long, with a wingspan of 15-18 inches they are fairly large birds that really stand out at your backyard bird feeder. They can be attracted to your yard by suet (for a homemade recipe, click here) or black sunflower seeds. You can also help them by leaving dead trees standing, as this bird, like many others, is a cavity nester and depends on dead trees. (Of course if the tree is in an unsafe spot, leaving it up is not a good idea.)
In sticking with the bird theme, here is the next puzzler–another bird that is easily attracted to a feeder in your yard.
Have a great weekend and happy Mother’s Day to all of our Mothers out there!