A Comparison of Some Aspects of the Breeding Ecology of Red-Headed and Red-Bellied Woodpeckers in Kansas

Abstract

Red-headed (RH) [Melanerpes erythrocephalus] and red-bellied (RB) [Centurus carolinus] woodpeckers in Kansas [USA] have similar courtship, copulatory behavior, vocalizations, choice of tree species and limb stubs for nest sites, nest height, nest limb diameter, nest dimensions, incubating and brooding behavior and preference for feeding mulberries to their nestlings. Red-headed woodpeckers prefer nest limbs without bark and start their nest cavities at a pre-existing crack. The species differ in that the RH breeding cycle starts later than that of RB. RH prefer to nest in open areas; RB nest in more wooded sites. RH forage extensively by fly-catching and stooping during the breeding season; RB forage more by tree surface gleaning. These differences between the species may be related to migratory and nonmigratory habits of RH and RB, respectively, and are probably the factors that allow these species to exist sympatrically over much of E North America.