Ring Those Bells
by Nava Thompson
Title
Ring Those Bells
Artist
Nava Thompson
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
A photo taken by Nava Thompson of a Redbelly Woodpecker on a bell. This is a scene that makes for a Christmas Card. Adults are mainly light gray on the face and underparts; they have black and white barred patterns on their back, wings and tail. Adult males have a red headside going from the bill to the nape; females have a red patch on the nape and another above the bill. The reddish tinge on the belly that gives the bird its name is difficult to see in field identification. They are 9 to 10.5 inches long, and have a wingspan of 15 to 18 inches. Red-bellied woodpeckers are noisy birds, and have many varied calls. Calls have been described as sounding like churr-churr-churr or thrraa-thrraa-thrraa with an alternating br-r-r-r-t sound. Males tend to call and drum more frequently than females, but both sexes call. Often, these woodpeckers "drum" to attract mates. They tap on aluminum roofs, metal guttering, hollow trees and even transformer boxes, in urban environments, to communicate with potential partners. Babies have a high-pitched begging call of "pree-pree-pree" They will continue to give a begging call whenever they see their parents for a while after fledging. These birds mainly search out arthropods on tree trunks. They may also catch insects in flight. They are omnivores, eating insects, fruits, nuts and seeds. Their breeding habitat is usually deciduous forests. They nest in the decayed cavities of dead trees, old stumps, or in live trees that have softer wood such as elms, maples, or willows; both sexes assist in digging nesting cavities. Areas around nest sites are marked with drilling holes to warn others away. Though the species is not globally threatened, it depends on large trees for nesting. In areas that are extensively deforested, the birds will sometimes utilize gardens, but for the most part simply will not be present in any numbers.
Peeking out of its nest The Red-bellied Woodpecker has extended its breeding range north over the last 100 years. Populations are increasing throughout most of the range. Red List Category & Criteria: Least Concern ver 3.1 Year Published: 2012 Assessor/s: BirdLife International Reviewer/s: Butchart, S. & Symes, A. Contributor/s: Justification: This species has an extremely large range, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the range size criterion (Extent of Occurrence 30% decline over ten years or three generations). The population size is extremely large, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population size criterion (10% in ten years or three generations, or with a specified population structure). For these reasons the species is evaluated as Least Concern.
Uploaded
December 5th, 2012
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Viewed 146 Times - Last Visitor from Fairfield, CT on 04/18/2024 at 11:18 AM
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Comments (14)
Nava Jo Thompson
Thank you Heidi for 'Photography - Getting The Light Just Right group and featuring 'Ring Those Bells'!
Randy Rosenberger
Lovely holiday scenic beauty, Nava Jo! Love your details in you bird shots and nice title too. 12 12 12 on Kami's groupsite. fave and vote
Mary Machare
Great capture of this little guy ringing the bell. You always get such detailed photos of birds... I must not have the patience. Wonderful work, Nava Jo. VF