RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER CALLS: Learn Their 3 Most Common Calls (2024)
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- čas přidán 25. 10. 2022
- In this video, you will learn how to identify the 3 most common CALLS and SOUNDS of a Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus), including what it sounds like when they drum against a tree!
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HERE ARE THE THREE MOST COMMON SOUNDS THAT RED-BELLIED WOODPECKERS MAKE:
00:16 SOUND #1: “Churr”
The most common call that Red-bellied Woodpeckers make is a rolling “churr.” This sound can be heard by both sexes at any time of the year.
00:39 SOUND #2: The contact call
The next sound is a contact call that is usually given between mates.
It can be heard as a single “che” note. The contact call can also be strung together as a harsh, coughing “cha-cha-cha.”
01:02 SOUND #3: Drumming
You can even identify a Red-bellied Woodpecker by the way they drum on trees! Listen for a short burst of drumming, which lasts about one second. In that one second, they typically drum about 19 times! Drumming is primarily used by males to attract mates or to communicate with their partner.
Credit for Recordings
Macaulay Library at the Cornell
Lab of Ornithology.
Recordists: Timothy Barksdale, Steven Biggers, Bob McGuire, Wil Hershberger, Jay McGowan
Images used under license
from Shutterstock.com
This calls the woodpeckers to me. They respond to the video every single time I play it!
I have a red-bellied that bangs on my gutter at sunrise to tell me there are no peanuts in the feeder. He's better than an alarm clock. Love him!
That is so cool. I hear them around my property all the time.
Huh so this is the little guy I keep hearing in my backyard. So cute!
I have them at my suet feeders several times a day. The call I hear the most is the second one. I can tell one is on its way to my yard when I hear it. If you want to attract them, they love peanut butter suet. I attach it to my trees in a cage feeder.
I’m in the Panhandle of Florida and I hear all these daily! I call them my woodpecker family that visits the yard
I hear these all the time in my area of Ocean County NJ, mostly the churr sound and the knocking sound
I have one out back , couldn’t see him or figure out what bird was making that sound, finally went out this evening and there he was doing all of these sounds along with his loud pecking on my tree. Beautiful bird .
I live in Lexington, Kentucky.
Yes I hear this everyday here in western Kentucky.
We're just south of Atlanta, GA. We get quite a few of these after unshelled peanuts, and suet. If we dont see them everyday, we sure do hear them. Beautiful birds.
I live between Gardner & Coal City,Il. And there are a few of them here, I love sitting watching&listening to all the birds
We hear these magnificent calls regularly in our backyard woods in Scarborough, Maine.
Happily I hear all 3 sounds frequently in Southern NY state. I love these beautiful birds and welcome their presence each time I see or hear one
Love watching them. I'm in Wisconsin..
Hi Jacksonville, Florida commenting. Yes, I hear, and see,several red-bellied woodpeckers at my suet and mealworms feeders. The same goes for the pileated, hairy and downey woodpeckers.
Unfortunately, I haven't seen a redheaded woodpecker in years. Others in my neighborhood have seen RHWPs in their yard. I have quite a few bird feeders in my yard and the crescent on our street. My neighborhood was built in 1950. We are lucky to have a large amount of mature trees surrounding our subdivision. 🐦
We have been living in the same woods for 25 years in Norway, ME. Started to hear the
red bellied woodpecker calls about 3 years ago and see them regularly at our feeders.
We live in Milford, Delaware and we hear these sounds ALL the time. Our one Red-bellied has taken to yammering on the rain gutter of our sun room and THAT is really noisy! How do they keep from getting a headache when just hearing them almost can GIVE me one!
We are also blessed with Downy Woodpeckers and Pileated Woodpeckers. One of the best things I’ve seen was a parent Downy on our deck rail, under a suet block, feeding an almost fledgling juvenile.
Ah, wild birds! What a blessing they are to this Delaware Grammy.
Southeast side of Michigan. After a bunch of severe storms came through spawning tornadoes all over, our regular group of birds started bringing in stragglers. That's when we got our first red-bellies. I have heard all three sounds and even watched from our glassed in tinted windowed gazebo as a male danced for the female on our fence amid the middle calls made by both birds.. was epic.. they bring their babies here to grow up!
We have enjoyed having them around and listening to them here in Texas ❤
I’m relaxing in my backyard listening to one right now in Mayville, Michigan! 😊
My husband & I have heard this strange bird call for a while. We finally saw him flying between trees near our backyard feeder. I love his/her sounds. Thanks for posting this video.
I have a ton of them around my house. For me, I notice that although I have a huge variety of different types of birds that visit my feeders, there are certain ones more prominent at the feeders every month or couple of months at a time. In August & September it was the American Goldfinch and Mourning Doves, now it’s the Red Bellied Woodpeckers and Cardinal. Love it.
In Calvert County Maryland
I have heard the calls here eastern pa yardley morrisv 2:22 ille area
Love watching/hearing them in my backyard - Robinson, Texas 💛
I have a couple that come to my feeders several times a day in Arlington, Texas! I hear the second call mostly, but occasionally I’ll hear the tapping.
I've always wondered what red bellied woodpeckers sound like,Thank you scott
You're welcome!
I live in Harford County, Md. and was actually listening to a wood pecker this morning while falling back asleep. Also a couple summers ago took a picture of one on my deck eating from the bird feed. Beautiful bird.
My 89 yr old Dad has a male and a female red bellied wood pecker at the house I grew up in and now have returned in Tulsa ok. We are very fortunate to live in a highly treed neighborhood where we enjoy resident birds as well as migratory. Thank you for your channel! I see you on tv sometimes, too!
I’ve definitely seen a Red Bellied Woodpecker come to my house. Now for me in my town we don’t really see that much woodpeckers, but I actually saw it come twice!
Almost forgot! Found them in NY
Omg I love these guys!!! I have a “resident woodpecker” that does the second noise when he sees me outside and I feed him unsalted roasted shelled peanuts & so now soon as he sees me outside in the yard (especially on the porch where I sit)he will fly down to the wooden fence next to the porch and sit there making that second noise til I notice him and throw him a handful of peanuts♥️I tell my husband it sounds like a lil dog bark and he does it til I throw the peanuts then he stops and goes abt his business. He use to rat-a-tat tat on the metal gutters everyday til I heard him and came out to toss him a few peanuts-they’re soo smart♥️Thanks for the video it’s great⭐️🙌🏻⭐️
p.s. loving these vocal lil guys and this video from Pemberton, New Jersey🌻
That's exactly what the one does that visits me,he'll keep chatting until I acknowledge him,he's great,I love him,he comes a few times daily
I hear the churr all the time. I’m glad to finally know what bird it is. I am in Southeastern Michigan.
Have these. Medford Minnesota. Even a big pleated woodpecker. Noisy guys. 😃
I love to see them come to the bird feeder in winter. I can even hear a chirping and know there's one nearby so I'll run to the window. Im in mid missouri
Lucky to have some in my backyard in Oakland County, Michigan. I frequently hear the churring sound when I step outside. I think they like me!
Just saw and/or heard several in NE Oklahoma while birding this morning.
We have a male & female pair that have been visiting our suet feeder for the last 3 years. The suet feeder is on our deck, and if we are sitting out on the deck, they will perch in nearby trees and make unhappy calls until we go inside and let them get to the suet feeder....so cool.
Sometimes if we sit very still and quiet on the deck they will fly down (within 6 feet if us!) to the suet feeder.
We are in a typical suburban neighborhood...
nothing but houses around us, but we planted lots of trees in our previously barren backyard 25 years ago.
We have a family of Red Bellied Woodpeckers. Gumper is the father, his mate, and two fledgings. Our dog found two babies on the ground. One was dead and covered in ants, the other I rescued, fed when he was hungry, and released back into nature when he could fly. He and his family live here, and Gumper comes to chat when I call him by his name. We love to watch them
Have a lot here in Minnesota. They are very considerate at the window bird feeders I have. Other birds linger and eat. The red bellied woodpecker comes, takes a nut and leaves to eat it somewhere else, thus leaving the birdfeeder open for other birds. A very polite bird!
I also have …cardinals, blue jays , finches, grackles, squirrels, ducks, bunnies. It is quite a show. Luv it!!!!
I see the red bellied woodpecker at my suet cages and I hear them all the time. The churning sound as well as the squeak. I’m in CT
Columbus OH - Just saw one, and found your video; “churr” confirms it!
Heard them just before watching this video in Saint Mary’s GA. I heard the contact call and saw two birds flitting from tree to tree and id’d them with the Merlin app.
Was able to find this video to identify why they were calling. Super cool.
And when I played it loud they started making more noise 😮😮
I live in Illinois, close to St Louis and I have a few that visit my feeders and have heard all three of their calls. I enjoy watching them!
These birds are very common in Huntington, NY. Every once in awhile they will drum on my roof antenna which reverberates throughout the house... sometimes very early in the morning!
I am in NC. I have one that comes to my feeder every day. The sound I hear is the contact call! I am watching him now, and he takes the peanuts from my seed and eats the suet from my suet plugs! Love him!!! I have pileated ones that are in the trees close to my house also.
One woke me up this morning (central NH) making the first sound! It was a nice surprise because I almost never see them in our yard!
I have a family of these beautiful birds in my oak tree! They're such amazing animals! ❤ sending love and positive vibes from South Jersey!
I have one that comes to my tree faithfully every day and he flys on to my picnic table feeder when I whistle for him. I live in Windsor Ontario
In Miami I am so lucky to get these red bellied woodpeckers in my advocado tree ( even nesting ) and drumming too on the wooden electricity poles nearby . So I hear the calls regularly.
I saw one of these guys up close for the first time last week! While visiting my family for the holidays, there was one that would commonly frequent our backyard bird feeder in northern Georgia, with easy viewing from the kitchen window. I also saw one on a tree today in Louisiana.
Hear them all the time. They love Honey Roasted peanuts here in Waverly VA😊
We just 2 in our tree cha cha chaing away! Firt time seeing two at a time here. SE Wisconsin
I have been hearing their drumming for years, but only just spotted one today in Northern NJ.
I hear them all the time in N.W PA. Currently they are coming to my Oriole grape jelly feeder.
We have one that comes around every year in our backyard- Matthews North Carolina. We have lots of trees on our property and undeveloped underbrush. He sometimes hangs off of our feeder to eat. Can always tell when he is around by his rolling churr.......................my favorite bird in the yard by far........................
I am in South Cobb Atlanta Ga and hear them all the time! I didn't know until I watched this video, thanks!😊 Now I have up peanut butter suet and I play this video to bring them to the feeder so they can eat and I can take video and pictures!
My neighbors yard in Bethlehem PA. In the early morning I hear the drumming and in the afternoon the churr I saw the bird in the dead part of their white birch
I live in Red Oak, Tx. I have one that comes and eats at my feeder in the morning. I hear both sounds.
I have one that lands on my chimney and drums on the steel cap that covers the flue opening. In the living room, it is so loud that it sometimes scares the heck out of me at first. But usually he lets out a few "churrs" before commencing to drum. Rochester, NY
My 3 year old son and I saw this woodpeckers and heard its "che" call in our tree in North West Arkansas!
Just heard one in the park the other day, first time! Took a video and matched it to this, exact match. We heard sound number 2, the contact call.
One of the first bird call IDs I was ever able to identify. Hear all 3 sounds here in central Michigan. Nice video, thanks.
I definitely heard the contact call and didn't recogize which bird it was, so I peeked out the window and saw a male red-bellied woodpecker. I love all woodpeckers! I'm in New Hampshire.
I just attracted my first red bellied woodpecker since starting to feed the birds a couple weeks ago! I’m so excited I didn’t expect to see one so soon
I just saw one this afternoon on my neighbors roof. Gorgeous bird. I live in East Central Florida.
I've had them at my bird feeders repeatedly throughout the day for the past few weeks and I'm hearing a lot of drumming in the tree line behind my home. Once on my house! They are beautiful birds, though.
I have heard all the sounds. Today I saw two in the trees and at my feeder. It was so exciting. I’m in northwest Florida
Just saw and heard a Red Bellied Woodpecker this morning in Dedham Massachusetts.
We've just started seeing a red bellied woodpecker, several times a day, at our feeder in Minneapolis. I've heard the first call in the neighborhood for the last year. We also have hairy and downy woodpeckers coming to the feeder, but this is the first time for the red bellied!
3 days or so in the backyard in Minneapolis Mn.
They are hard to spot for sure.
Might have to try the salted peanut in shells😊
I'm in oswego County NY. I get them at my suet feeders daily. Have at least 5 in my woods, I've that many on my feeders at once. I heard the drumming daily, must say mixed with the Cardinals, chickadees, Redwinged black birds & Blue Jay's makes a great little Is orchestra. The first 2 sounds are heard often as well.
I have several that visit and eat homemade suet here in my backyard.
Orange, Texas 2:06
I have a single male that comes yo my feeder in the winter. I grew up outside Renfrew, Ontario and had never seen one, but have since moved to Toledo, Ontario and see just the one regularly.
Just saw this bird and heard the drumming today! Thanks for this information. 🐦
See two of them every morning in Forest Park Springfield MA. Enjoy watching them compete with Jays & Grackles
I have 2 families of red bellied woodpeckers that visit my yard. Every morning they greet me (along with the bluejays) to get their peanuts.
We constantly have a few here in the Birmingham, Alabama area. They love no melt peanut delight suet.
I've been hearing the first sound in my back yard a lot this morning, and that drumming (on our house!) often wakes me up in the morning! White Oak West, a NW suburb of Cincinnati, Ohio. I rarely see one, though. Actually, just once that I remember, a year or two ago! I have a seed feeder and a suet feeder, and it was on them (they're right next to, sort of on top of, one another).
Love these birds!!!!! I hear them in Central NC.
Middleburg, Clay County, Florida - Upland scrub habitat. Also visited by Pileated and Downy woodpeckers. Yard is as natural as possible for my visitors.
Just took photos & a video of a Red Bellied Woodpecker today on our Apple Tree.
Have them year round in Southeast Wisconsin (just saw one a few minutes ago), along with a ton of Downy and a very occasional Hairy. Seen only one Red-Headed at my previous home and one Flicker here - was very excited. My dream is to see a Pileated!!!
Hearing them in Wallingford, CT!
Saw and heard today at Lake Nokomis Minneapolis,MN😊
I live in the panhandle of Florida very near Panama City. I have quite a few of these that come around to my peanut-cracked sunflower seed feeder. Some of them are quite young and will let me walk almost right up to them. They are not afraid of the bully crows, they will just keep on the feeder until they get what they want.
I’ve had woodpeckers that visit for years. Their screeches sound more like screaming at times. Definitely they drum on my trees and my house. I live in Sherwood Arkansas
Had one yesterday here in McMinnville TN ❤ Loves the Black Sunflower seeds we put out 😊
I just played your Red Bellied sound after hearing one. It played on my JBL speaker on my deck and one came by to investgate. Happened twice! Carlisle MA.
I didn't know what species of birds make the #1 and #2 sounds until now. Thank you!
Louisville, Kentucky we had to wrap the wooden parts of our 1970s house with aluminum siding to keep them off the house. 10 + years of patching with new wood didn't help. It was the Stewart -Woodpecker house. They nested between the bedroom windows.
I reside on a farm in east central Arkansas and i hear these calls almost daily, as i have several red-bellied,downeys,and the occasional red headed and Northern flicker.Not seen a hairy.IMO the red- headed is the most beautiful bird i have seen,but they don't come around alot.😊
We have a couple at our backyard feeders in Viera FL, just heard one drumming after playing this video
I love these little Birdie Birds ! I heard one "whirring" at my Grandsons house just this afternoon May 12th. We used to have a suet cage by our bird feeder at our house when I was in my very early teens and would see these and the little black and white woodpecker there a lot
I hear this in South Alabama quite frequently as I am rural.
We have one in our backyard in Navarre, FL
Boston, MA, on a side street 50 yards off of an extremely busy urban neighborhood street!
Southern New Jersey, the woodpecker is the second-noisiest bird after the Carolina wren. 😀
Great and useful video, thank you! I knew I was hearing a woodpecker, but I didn't recall what kind, and this was it. Makes sense as we have a lot of them here in SW FL! I've been hearing both the "churr" and "contact" calls, so now I know to look out for more than one bird!
Thanks for this - I heard this first churr sound the other day here is Sachse, Tx and wasn’t sure what bird was making the sound!
I'm in Central Wisconsin and just heard the "churr" sound today March 04, 2023. I've heard this call several times walking the pooch and the Woodpeckers don't seem to like to be seen.
Heard 3 of these today 8/20/23 at waterfall Glen Darien Ilinois
Bear, Delaware, and saw him too! Beautiful bird! 👍