Red-Bellied Woodpecker
409. Centurus carolinus. 9½ inches
Male with whole top of head and back of neck red; female with forehead and hind head red but crown gray. Both sexes have the centre of the belly reddish, and have red eyes.
Like the Red-heads, these birds are noisy, but they have few of the bad qualities of the others. Besides the regular Woodpecker fare, they get a great many ants and beetles from the ground and fruit and acorns from the trees. They are also said to be fond of orange juice. In most of their range they are regarded as rather shy and retiring birds.
Note.—A sharp, resonant “cha,” “cha,” “cha,” repeated.
Nest.—In holes bored usually in live trees and at any height from the ground. Their five or six eggs are glossy white (1.00 ×.75).
Range.—United States east of the Plains, breeding from Florida and Texas to southern Pennsylvania and Minnesota. Winters along the Gulf coast; occasionally strays to Massachusetts.