Infrequently Seen

Spring: Red-headed Woodpeckers are infrequently seen at Monticello Park. In recent years, they have become more common in the Washington metro area, and a few have briefly visited Monticello. You have a better chance to see one in Alexandria at Huntley Meadows or Fort Hunt.

Fall: Only a few Red-headed Woodpecker sightings have been recorded at Monticello during the fall.

Where to See Them in the Park

The few sightings of Red-headed Woodpeckers have been on the ridge and in trees on both sides of the dog exercise area. There is no best place to look for them in the park.

Physical Description

Adult Red-headed Woodpeckers are difficult to confuse with any other species. They have a bright red head and a black back with a big white patch in the middle. The sexes are similar. They are the same size as Red-bellied Woodpeckers, whom some people mistakenly call Red-headed Woodpeckers because they have a red cap and nape. The two species do not look similar.

The underparts and inner half of the underwings of the Red-headed Woodpecker are white.

If you visit an area where Red-headed Woodpeckers nest, they spend a lot of time flying around and gathering acorns.

Adults keep the same plumage all year. Juvenile Red-headed Woodpeckers have a brown head, and the feathers on the back appear to be dark grayish rather than pitch black. Some of the feathers making up the white patch on the back have black marks.

In flight, juveniles have a black stripe on the trailing edge of their white wing patches. As with the adults, they spend a lot of time gathering acorns.

Vocalizations

One vocalization of Red-headed Woodpeckers is a high-pitched and raspy queeeer. They also have a variety of rattles and churring vocalizations.

Hear the vocalizations and sounds of the Red-headed Woodpecker.

Notes

The Red-headed Woodpecker is closely related to the Acorn Woodpecker found in western North America. The Acorn Woodpecker was the inspiration for Woody Woodpecker. Walter Lantz, Woody's creator, was on his honeymoon in northern California, and an Acorn Woodpecker persistently banged on his cabin. If you listen to the third call of the Acorn Woodpecker on the Cornell Lab site, it sounds like Woody.

Origin of Names

Common Names: Red-headed from the red head. Woodpecker because they peck wood.
Genus Name: Melanerpes means black creeper.
Species Name: Erythrocephalus means red-headed.

Red-headed Woodpecker video footage

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