Introduction
The Red-headed Woodpecker is a striking, tuxedoed woodpecker. This species nests in dead snags along fields, woodlands, golf courses, and wetlands. Its demeanor can be anxious and quarrelsome in turn. Unlike typical woodpeckers, it often engages in flycatching from an exposed perch and is one of the few species that caches food for later consumption.
This species moves from forest interior habitat to forest edges, openings, or disturbed areas for the breeding season (Frei et al. 2020). At Fort A.P. Hill, Caroline County, Red-headed Woodpeckers prefer breeding habitat with an open canopy and a high density of both large snags and large living trees (Nickley 2018). The species experiences an erratic pattern of boom-and-bust driven by changes in food abundance and is currently in decline throughout its range. Despite its charismatic nature, much about the Red-headed Woodpecker remains mysterious.
Breeding Distribution
Red-headed Woodpeckers are found in all regions of the state but are most likely to occur in the Shenandoah Valley and the Piedmont (particularly near the Blue Ridge Mountains) and throughout the Coastal Plain region (Figure 1). They are less likely to occur in the forested highlands of the Allegheny and Blue Ridge Mountains, urban areas of Northern Virginia, the I-95 corridor, and the Hampton Roads area. The likelihood Red-headed Woodpeckers occur on the landscape increases with the proportion of grassland and shrubland habitats and agricultural land cover in a block, and it decreases as the proportion of forest and developed cover increases. They are also more likely to occur in blocks with more forest patches, indicating a preference for fragmented woodland and smaller woodlots rather than forest interior.
Due to model limitations, Red-headed Woodpecker distribution during the First Atlas and the ensuing change between Atlas periods could not be modeled (see Interpreting Species Accounts). For more information on its distribution during the First Atlas, please see the Breeding Evidence section.
Figure 1: Red-headed Woodpecker breeding distribution based on probability of occurrence (Second Atlas, 2016–2020). This map indicates the probability that this species will occur in an Atlas block (an approximately 10 mi2 [26 km2] survey unit) based on environmental (including habitat) factors and after adjusting for the probability of detection (variation in survey effort among blocks).
Breeding Evidence
Red-headed Woodpeckers were confirmed breeders in all regions of the state, albeit rarely in the southern Mountains and Valleys region (Figure 2). They were confirmed breeders in 224 blocks and 81 counties and probable breeders in an additional eight counties. Breeding records were concentrated in Loudoun and Fauquier, where there is plenty of open habitat with woodlots interspersed among fields. In the Mountains and Valleys region, breeding was also common in the Shenandoah Valley and the high pastures of Highland County. Red-headed Woodpeckers occurred at many scattered sites throughout the southern Piedmont region and were common in both bottomland and upland areas of the Coastal Plain. Breeding observations were also recorded in all regions of the state during the First Atlas, although there were also substantially fewer observations documented; however, this may have been due to less survey effort during the First Atlas rather than related to population changes (Figure 3).
Red-headed Woodpeckers began occupying nests on March 29 and carrying food to their nestlings on April 26. (Figure 4). Breeding confirmations continued to be recorded through late August, with recently fledged young seen as late as August 27. For more general information on the breeding habits of the Red-headed Woodpecker, please refer to All About Birds.
Figure 2: Red-headed Woodpecker breeding observations from the Second Atlas (2016–2020). The colored boxes illustrate Atlas blocks (approximately 10 mi2 [26 km2] survey units) where the species was detected. The colors show the highest breeding category recorded in a block. The numbers within the colors in the legend correspond to the number of blocks with that breeding evidence category.
Figure 3: Red-headed Woodpecker breeding observations from the First Atlas (1985–1989). The colored boxes illustrate Atlas blocks (approximately 10 mi2 [26 km2] survey units) where the species was detected. The colors show the highest breeding category recorded in a block. The numbers within the colors in the legend correspond to the number of blocks with that breeding evidence category.
Figure 4: Red-headed Woodpecker phenology: confirmed breeding codes. This graph shows a timeline of confirmed breeding behaviors. Tick marks represent individual observations of the behavior.
Population Status
Red-headed Woodpecker relative abundance was estimated to be highest in patches of the southern Piedmont region and in Northampton County on the Eastern Shore (Figure 5). The species was also predicted to be moderately abundant in the Virginia Beach area, the lower Virginia peninsula, and Northern Virginia.
The total estimated Red-headed Woodpecker population in the state is approximately 110,000 individuals (with a range between 34,000 and 354,000). North American Breeding Bird Survey trends for the Red-headed Woodpecker are conflicting and do not provide credible trends for Virginia or the regions that encompass the state (Hostetler et al. 2023). Thus, no population trends are available for the state.
Figure 5: Red-headed Woodpecker relative abundance (Second Atlas, 2016–2020). This map indicates the predicted abundance of this species at a 0.4 mi2 (1 km2) scale based on environmental (including habitat) factors. Abundance values are presented on a relative scale of low to high.
Conservation
Due to their fluctuating but apparently stable populations, VDWR does not consider the Red-headed Woodpecker to be a species of concern. However, range-wide they have experienced declines, which despite cavity competition from Red-bellied Woodpeckers (Melanerpes carolinus) and European Starlings (Sturnus vulgaris), Koenig et al. (2017) found were more attributable to predation, warmer winters, and changes in habitat availability. Because they prefer open woodlands, they can benefit from forest thinning and prescribed fire. Like many woodpeckers, this species also benefits from landowners leaving standing dead trees and branches that they can use for nest sites.
Interactive Map
The interactive map contains up to six Atlas layers (probability of occurrence for the First and Second Atlases, change in probability of occurrence between Atlases, breeding evidence for the First and Second Atlases, and abundance for the Second Atlas) that can be viewed one at a time. To view an Atlas map layer, mouse over the layer box in the upper left. County lines and physiographic regional boundaries (Mountains and Valleys, Piedmont, and Coastal Plain) can be turned on and off by checking or unchecking the box below the layer box. Within the map window, users can hover on a block to see its value for each layer and pan and zoom to see roads, towns, and other features of interest that are visible beneath a selected layer.
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References
Conner, R. N. (1976). Nesting habitat for Red-headed Woodpeckers in Southwestern Virginia. Bird-Banding 47:40–43. https://doi.org/10.2307/4512189.
Frei, B., K. G. Smith, J. H. Withgott, P. G. Rodewald, P. Pyle, and M. A. Patten (2020). Red-headed Woodpecker (Melanerpes erythrocephalus), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (P. G. Rodewald, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.rehwoo.01.
Hostetler, J. A., J. R. Sauer, J. E. Hines, D. Ziolkowski, and M. Lutmerding (2023). The North American breeding bird survey, analysis results 1966–2022. U.S. Geological Survey, Laurel, MD, USA. https://doi.org/10.5066/P9SC7T11.
Koenig, W. D., E. L. Walters, and P. G. Rodewald (2017). Testing alternative hypotheses for the cause of population declines: the case of the Red-headed Woodpecker. The Condor 119:143–54. https://doi.org/10.1650/CONDOR-16-101.1.
Nickley, B. (2018). Red-headed Woodpecker full annual cycle ecology at Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia. PhD Thesis. Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA. https://doi.org/10.25772/T3HM-3P46.
