Red-bellied Woodpecker

Description: 10" Barred black and white above, pale buff below and on face, sexes similar except male has red crown and nape, female red nape only, reddish patch on lower abdomen is seldom visible in the field	Habitat:Open deciduous forests, wet woodlands, pine forests, oak woods, parks, shade trees in the suburbs, wooded bottomlands, swamps. Undulating flight, like most other woodpeckers. Common and conspicuous.
Nesting: 4-5 white eggs in a tree cavity, usually near edge of woodland	Range: breeds from South Dakota to new England, south to Gulf coast, Florida, winters in breeding range
Voice: Chuck-chuck-chuck!, descending in pitch, also a loud repeated Churrr!	Diet: Including acorns. In s, favor oranges (may be pests, tap sap). Occasionally usurp sapsucker wells. Hoard nuts, fruit and insects. Young fed insects, berries. Often work upward on trees. Occasionally feed on ground.

Notes: very common throughout the south, beneficial as consumer of wood-boring beetles, grasshoppers, ants, stores food, Starlings use freshly made nest holes sometimes causes loss of brood

When present in Oklahoma: present year-round in all parts of the state