Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Calling ornithologists!
I've looked up all the Georgia woodpeckers and this one doesn't fit the bill (ha ha) for red-headed, southern pileated, downy, ivory billed or red bellied woodpecker. Is it, could it be, a Red Cockaded Woodpecker? I ask because they are endangered. Any help is appreciated. These are in my yard in Madison County GA, slightly out of the noted range.
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3 comments:
I told my MIL and FIL about your question. He's a wildlife biologist and loves birds. Here's his response:
This is a downy woodpecker. The red mark does not show up on a red-cockaded except during breeding season. Habitat for red-cockaded is old-growth pine, over sixty years old. Here are some websites for you to view pictures of the downy woodpecker and the red-cockaded woodpecker:
Downy:
http://www.pbase.com/billko/downy_woodpecker
Red-cockaded:
http://www.greglasley.net/redcock.html
Keith Wooster, Certified Wildlife Biologist
~Marci
Hi Marci,
Thanks so much!! I had examined photos of the downy and the red cockaded but didn't see the similarity in the downy, I"ll take a look at the photo links you sent. The information about the red mark is great, I had not read that anywhere. Off to look at your pics!
Ahhh, yes, my little guy is not fat like the guys in the pics yet but the rest is all the same, including that red mark. Thanks!
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