Woodpeckers generally perch with their tummies against a tree, so it took me a long time to understand why Red-bellied Woodpeckers have that name:
The bright red nape and head seemed entirely sufficient to me, but another woodpecker claimed that name first…
The Smell of Molten Projects in the Morning 
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6 responses to “Red-Bellied Woodpecker”
I’ve often thought how there should be companion books to many wildlife ID books, “Poorly and Misnamed [???] of [State]”. It does seem like many things are named for their most subtle features and it is not until later that they make sense, if ever.
An increasing number of things in this modern world we live in fall into that category, too… [sigh]
We have a White-headed woodpecker around the suet feeder. I think this is the one who grew up in the garden-gate stump. When he was little he’d pop up in the nest hole to look at me as I went by, so he’s not terribly afraid of people.
The Cassin’s finches just made their appearance. Kitchen duty has some great entertainment…
I misread that as “Cassini’s finches” and wondered what he was doing birdwatching in the Northwest…
I’m thinking of tacking a board to the bottom of one of my suet feeders for woodpeckers to brace their tails against. I read that’s how they prefer to feed.
The little Downy Woodpeckers and larger Hairy Woodpeckers would certainly appreciate that, but the squirrels would probably benefit the most. I must add an extension to the bracket that holds our suet feeder…