Red Belly woodpecker is a big bully!

15 years ago

I have been seeing Red Belly on and off for a year or so now, but recently, one has finally come regularly. They are big, bigger than the downy that usually come to visit, but man they are so aggressive. When he is on the feeder, no one can get near the feeder, not even the black birds.

It also behaves rather strangely. It flies in, pecks a few seeds flies out into the tree, then comes back 10 sec later. He does this 5 or 6 times. May be he's nervous about the hawks. He also doesn't seemed to touch the suet feeder. May be he's too big to use it (the black birds don't seemed to have trouble).

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Comments (8)

bob414
15 years ago
Bullying seems to come natural to some birds. Scrub Jays are the big bullies in my yard. I haven't noticed other birds getting close to the Mockingbird that visits the bird bath regularly and I think there must be a reason for that.
bandjzmom
15 years ago
I would have to say that this is normal feeding behavior for the Red bellied Woodpecker paul. It's exactly how they have always fed in my yard. Odd that he doesn't go for the suet. He should be able to use most suet feeders. You could try moving the feeder or replacing the suet with a different one.
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paulsiu
Original Author
15 years ago
Yesterday, a really large black bird appeared. He was like getting close to the size of a duck. I guess it was a raven or crow, no bullying that guy :-). He was just passing through though.

In any case, the suet is about 5 feet from the other feeder. The suet is new. I had set it up near a tree, but some animal (probably a Raccoon), kept pulling it down and eating all of the content at night. Now it hangs off a branch with a really long baffled chain. I wonder if it's too out in the open now?

Paul
tzmd
15 years ago
Our red bellied woodpecker seems to go for the easiest choice of food, preferring nuts to suet. He'll swoop in and out for an hour every afternoon. The only time he stays is if he is in the mood for peanuts and has to take the time to pull it out of the feeder. I have him fend off an entire flock of house sparrows using his long beak as a sword, but mostly he leaves the other birds alone as long as they give him his space.

Theresa.
gymell
15 years ago
If you think red-bellies are bad, you should see a yellow-bellied sapsucker. I had a juvenile female over winter in my yard a few years ago. She would not let any other woodpecker anywhere near the feeders! I eventually had to put up an additional suet log in another location so the other woodpeckers would have a chance. Sadly, she was taken by a sharp-shinned hawk later in the winter ...
seaflea3
15 years ago
Thats normal red-belly behavior from what I have seen. They dont stay very long so the other birds can get their turn and they are just sooo cool looking...love when they visit!
judith_45
15 years ago
The major bullies at my feeders are the mockingbirds. I have one who comes by now and then just to perch on one of the feeders and run off any other birds who attempt to land, and he's not even interested in the food that's that feeder! However, last fall I witnessed a "Gun Fight at the OK Corral"---a face off between the mockingbird and the red-belly over a platform feeder with lots of good nuts, fruit and seeds. After a lengthy stare-down, the red-belly won the day--the mockingbird capitulated and flew away.
kendra2003
15 years ago
It is fascinating to watch the hierarchy at the feeders. When the Blue Jays want suet and try to move in, the Red-Belly just has to look at them to make them back off. The Red-Belly even wins out over the Hairy woodpecker, even though they look about the same size to me.

Red Belly woodpecker is a big bully!

Comments (8)

bob414

bandjzmom

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Red Belly woodpecker is a big bully!

Comments (8)

bob414

bandjzmom

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paulsiuOriginal Author

tzmd

gymell

seaflea3

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kendra2003

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paulsiu
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