Woodpeckers are one of the beautiful bird species that can be seen across the globe and mostly prefers to stay in forests, backyards and various other types of habitat where trees are available. Woodpeckers are omnivores and primarily feeds on insect larvae, eggs, tree sap and seeds. Woodpeckers have a unique chisel-like bill which is used for drilling of the trees when woodpecker searches for food or during preparing nests in the mating season. Here is the list of woodpeckers in Ohio,
Woodpeckers In Ohio
1.Pileated woodpecker
- The pileated woodpecker is the largest woodpecker found in North America.
- It will grow upto 16-19 inches in length and looks as big as a crow.
- The bill of the Pileated woodpecker will act like a chisel to chip wood to prepare nests in the trunks of the trees.
- The call of the bird is “kuk-kuk-kuk” which is drumming loud and resonant.
- The pileated woodpecker was mostly seen in the regions of open pine forests with large widely spaced older trees, however, it is also seen in Canada and in western Washington all the way down to northern parts of California and eastern regions of the United States of America including Ohio state.
- It is one of the birds with red on the head.
2.Red-headed Woodpecker
- The red-headed woodpecker scientifically known as Melanerpes erythrocephalus is a medium-sized woodpecker species native to North America.
- It can grow upto 7-9 inches in length with a total wingspan of 14-17 inches. The woodpecker species are known for its red head, neck and upper breast.
- The red-headed woodpecker is omnivorous and primarily feeds on insects, spiders, earthworms, nuts, seeds, berries, fruit and occasionally small mammals.
- The bird species were seen throughout the United States east of the Rocky Mountains.
- It is one of the popular woodpeckers in Ohio and loves to thrive in woodlands, river bottoms, orchards, parks, open woods and wooded swamps.
- It is a solitary bird and meets only during mating and when raising young.
3.Downy woodpecker
- The downy woodpecker is the smallest woodpecker and also the most common woodpecker species in the wild. It is one of the common birds from Iowa.
- The bird species has black and white feathers, however, the stomach, chest and hence listed as one of the black and white birds in the world. The tails and wings are black. Males can be identified with a red patch on the back of their heads and females can be identified with a white stripe on the sides of their head that sometimes join together to form a ring that looks like a hallow around their blackhead.
- The avarage lifespan of the bird species is less than 1 year in the wild.
- Downy woodpeckers will create a nest where openings are hidden by fungus or lichen and look like green spongy moss.
- It is also listed as one of the amazing types of woodpeckers in the world.
4.Red-bellied woodpecker
- The red-bellied woodpecker is a medium-sized woodpecker species that belongs to the family Picidae.
- It is one of the most common woodpeckers in Ohio and prefers to breed in the eastern United States, ranging as far south as Florida and as far north as Canada.
- Male red-bellied woodpecker species can be identified with red on both its nape and crown, however, the female red-bellied woodpecker has red on its name but not it’s crown.
- It can grow upto 22.85 to 26.7 cm (9.00 to 10.51 in) in length with a total wingspan of 38 to 46 cm (15 to 18 in). The avarage wieght of the species is 2.0-3.2 oz (56-91 g).
- The red-bellied woodpecker is omnivorous and the site consists of 50% plant material at some seasons and also seen feeding on tree frogs, eggs of small birds, oozing sap, and even small fish.
5.Yellow-bellied sapsucker
- Yellow-bellied sapsucker is a medium-sized woodpecker species that comes with dark wings along with a white shoulder patch. The tail is black along with a black-barred and white centre stripe.
- It is one of the beautiful woodpeckers of Ohio that prefers to breed across Canada east of the Rockies to Labrador and Newfoundland and from South Dakota to Pennsylvania and New England and south through the Appalachians to northwest Georgia.
- It is also considered a keystone species and other species will take advantage of the holes that the birds make in trees.
- The avarage lifespan is 6 to 7 years in the wild.
6.Northern flicker
- The northern flicker is one of the brownish woodpeckers and can be easily recognized by a large white patch on its behind and the yellow under-surface of wings and tail.
- Males can be identified with a black streak along each side of the throat and females does not have the black streaks on the throat.
- It can grow upto 12 to 14 inches in length with a total wingspan of 18 to 21 inches.
- Northern flicker diet consists of ants and loves to eat a variety of other insects and wild fruit, especially wild cherries, dogwood, sumac and poison ivy.
7.Red-Cockaded Woodpecker
- The red-Cockaded Woodpecker is a medium-sized woodpecker species seen in the southeastern United States.
- It can grow upto 18–23 cm (7.1–9.1 in) in length with a total wingspan of 34–41 cm (13–16 in) across the wings.
- The varage wieght of the species is 40–56 g (1.4–2.0 oz).
- The diet includes ants, beetles, cockroaches, caterpillars, wood-boring insects, and spiders, and occasionally fruit and berries.
Image Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Southeast
8.Black-backed woodpecker
- Black-backed woodpecker is also known as the Arctic three-toed woodpecker that can grow upto 23 cm (9.1 in) long).
- It prefers to thrive in the forests of North America.
- Its can grow upto 9.1 in (23 cm) with a total wingspan of 15.8-16.5 in (40-42 cm). The avarage wieght of the bird species is 2.1-3.1 oz (61-88 g).
- The diet includes larvae of wood-boring beetles; also eats other insects, spiders, some fruits and nuts.
- The avarage lifespan of the species is 4 to 12 years in the wild.
- It is one of the rare species of woodpeckers in Ohio which has been spotted.
9.Red-naped sapsucker
- Red-naped sapsucker is medium-sized woodpecker species that is considered as the subspecies of the yellow-bellied sapsucker.
- It can grow upto 19–21 cm (7.5–8.3 in) with an avarage wieght of 32–66 g (1.1–2.3 oz).
- The primary diet includes insects, tree sap, fruit. Feeds on a wide variety of insects, including many ants.
- The avarage lifespan of the species is 2 to 3 years in the wild.
- It is one of the rare species of woodpeckers of Ohio that has been spotted.
10.Hairy Woodpecker
- Hairy Woodpecker is one of the common woodpeckers in Ohio seen over a large area of North America.
- It can grow upto 250 mm (9.8 in) in length with a total wingspan of 380 mm (15 in).
- The varage wieght of the woodpecker species is 1.4-3.4 oz (40-95 g).
- The diet includes beetles, ants, caterpillars and occasionally it has been seen eating some berries, seeds, nuts.
These are the 10 species of woodpeckers in Ohio. Kindly share and do post your comments.
