Red-bellied Woodpecker
A Rare Sight In Ontario
I was thrilled to see this Red-bellied Woodpecker at our feeder this winter. I've had a challenge getting a picture of him as he stays for only a short period of time each visit.
The Red-bellied Woodpecker is one of the rarest of Ontario woodpeckers, preferring mature deciduous forests, primarily Carolinian forest, for its habitat. I have been adding many trees and shrubs native to the Carolinian forest to our landscape over the past couple of years so I hope that means this fellow will stay. Southern Ontario is at the extreme northern limit of the Red-bellied Woodpecker's range.
This is the male of the species, identified by it's red hood from the top of it's head to the back of it's neck. The female has a red neck only. Unfortunately, I have not seen a female yet in our yard so I may not be fortunate enough to have some babies next spring.
Since adding more trees and putting up many feeders I have really noticed an increase in the bird population around our home. The most abundant woodpeckers in our yard are the Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers. We have so many now they are almost common.
Other woodpeckers I have photographed around our home include:
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