The female (bottom left) did not want her picture to be taken :)A common woodpecker over much of the South, the Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus) is scarcer farther north but has expanded its breeding range northward in recent decades. Like most woodpeckers, it is beneficial, consuming large numbers of wood-boring beetles as well as grasshoppers, ants, and other insect pests. It also feeds on acorns, beechnuts, and wild fruits. It is one of the woodpeckers that habitually stores food. (Miccosukee Indian Village - February 3, 2007)
A common woodpecker over much of the South, the Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus) is scarcer farther north but has expanded its breeding range northward in recent decades. Like most woodpeckers, it is beneficial, consuming large numbers of wood-boring beetles as well as grasshoppers, ants, and other insect pests. It also feeds on acorns, beechnuts, and wild fruits. It is one of the woodpeckers that habitually stores food. (Miccosukee Indian Village - February 3, 2007)
