[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]
Re: woodpecker markings
- To: carolinabirds@duke.edu (CAROLINA BIRDS)
- Subject: Re: woodpecker markings
- From: BILL HILTON JR Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History<hilton@hiltonpond.org>
- Date: Fri, 21 Jun 2002 11:51:25 -0400
- Sender: carolinabirds-owner@acpub.duke.edu
I've always thought that red on the crown of young woodpeckers would
be more visible to parent birds looking down into the nest cavity,
perhaps enabling them to keep better tabs on their progeny.
Happy Birding,
BILL
----------------
>In a message dated 6/20/02 5:29:38 PM, jsr6@duke.edu writes:
>
><< Added Hairy and Red-bellied Woodpecker to the new yard list today! The
>Hairy was a fledgling of this year, with red over most of its cap, >>
>
>Josh and all,
> I've been seeing Downy and Red-bellied Woodpeckers and their young
>frequenting my feeders often this season.
> With respect to the Downy (and Hairy) juveniles, I think it's interesting
>that they have red feathering towards the front of their crowns, while the
>adult male's red is on the nape. It's a field mark that helps me identify
>them as juveniles, but wonder what other purpose it may have? I guess one
>reason is that it's less conspicuous being located there since it would be
>towards the tree that they're clinging on, while the males red patch would be
>obvious and stand out. Also many of the other juv. Woodpecker species have
>an absence of red, or brownish feathering instead, but many of those have
>much more red as adults than the Downys and Hairys.
> Looking through my field guide, in the west, the Arizona and White-headed
>WP have the same change between crown and nape markings with juv. and adults,
>and the other Woodpeckers with small amounts of red or yellow on head, have
>less noticeable differences between adults and juveniles.
> I read something about Hairy's that I didn't know in my Sibley Guide,
>that rarely the juveniles will have yellow on the crown instead of red.
>
>Shelley Theye
>
>
>Shelley Theye
>N. Chatham County, NC (south of Chapel Hill)
>Psbmt@aol.com
--
BILL HILTON JR., "The Piedmont Naturalist"
Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History
1432 DeVinney Road, York, South Carolina 29745 USA
hilton@hiltonpond.org, (803) 684-5852, eFax: (503) 218-0845
Please visit our web sites (courtesy of Comporium.net) at
http://www.hiltonpond.org and
http://www.rubythroat.org
"Never trust a person too lazy to get up for sunrise or too busy to
watch the sunset." BHjr.