birdsoup

There is currently a lot of talk in local birding circles about the influx of Snowy Owls into our area. People love owls. Snowy Owls are big and showy. And they occur only infrequently – roughly once every 4 or 5 winters. And this winter appears to be one of those years.
Although the flashy appearance of the owls makes them notable, there is another species that is appearing in the area that is equally spectacular – the Red-head Woodpecker.

I like Snowy Owls and recall vividly the first time I ever saw one. But one of my favorite recollections is a view of a Red-headed Woodpecker I saw one Thanksgiving morning. It was a spectacular sight. It was clear blue, cloudless sky. The woodpecker was at the top of a dead tree. I can still see the image of that black, white and red of the bird against the sunny blue sky.

Red-headed woodpeckers are uncommon in Westchester. Red-bellied woodpeckers are very common. Many people mistakenly refer to the red-bellied as a red-head woodpecker. That is understandable. They do have bright red color on their head. And no one every sees any red on their bellies. So why aren’t they called red-headed?

The explanation is simple. The red-headed woodpecker was discovered and named first. And you couldn’t have two different birds call red-headed. In those days, ornithologists usually shot the birds they wanted to study. Then they could hold the bird in their hands to get a really good look. And if you hold a red-bellied woodpecker in your head you would notice a blush of red color on its belly, more pronounced during breeding season. Hence, the name red-bellied.

If you hold a red-headed next to a red-bellied, there is no doubt which one should be called the red-headed. The entire head ( face, top, neck, back) are a brilliant blood red color. Nothing subtle about its coloring. It is red, black and white. No streaking, no eye rings, no wing bars. Just solid red, black and white.

I saw one last week at Croton Point Park. Another has been reported at Pelham Bay Park. If you have a chance go see for yourself what a real red-headed woodpecker looks like.