Red-headed Woodpecker

The Red-headed Woodpecker’s solid red head is the stereotype for woodpeckers in popular culture. But of all the woodpecker species in North America, only it and the Red-breasted Sapsucker have an all red head. Other species only have some red in the head plumage and sometimes only in the case of males. A few species have no red at all. It’s somewhat of an event when one is spotted in New England since they are a rarity here. I took these photographs in South Carolina where Red-headed Woodpeckers are still uncommon but not quite so unusual.