Red-headed Woodpecker
Sir David Attenborough presents the red-headed woodpecker found in North America.
Tweet of the Day is the voice of birds and our relationship with them, from around the world.
Sir David Attenborough presents the red-headed woodpecker found in North America. With its inky black wings, snow white body and crimson hood, the red-headed woodpecker is one of the most striking members of its family, a real 'flying checker-board'. This striking Woodpecker has an ancient past, fossil records go back 2 million years and the Cherokee Indians used this species as a war symbol. More recently and nestled amongst Longfellow's epic poem The Song of Hiawatha, the grateful Hiawatha gave the red headed woodpecker its red head in thanks for its service to him.
Producer : Andrew Dawes
Last on
Red-headed Woodpecker (Melanerpes erythrocephalus)
Webpage image courtesy of Visuals Unlimited / naturepl.com
NPL Ref 01299255 © Visuals Unlimited / naturepl.com
Recording of red-headed woodpecker by Wilbur L Hershberger / Ref: ML 168035
This programme contains a wildtrack recording of the red-headed woodpecker kindly provided by The Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology; recorded by Wilbur L Hershberger on 19 June 2011, West Virginia, USA.
Broadcasts
- Wed 17 Sep 2014 05:58BBC Radio 4
- Wed 30 Sep 2015 05:58BBC Radio 4
- Wed 15 Jul 2020 05:58BBC Radio 4
- Thu 14 Oct 2021 05:58BBC Radio 4
- Thu 7 Dec 2023 05:58BBC Radio 4
Podcast: Planet Puffin
Exploring all things puffin - the silly and the serious, the scientific and the cultural.
Try this new podcast
Five stories of birds and birdsong are told by the people inspired by them.
Podcast
-
![]()
Tweet of the Day
Discover birds through their songs and calls. 265 programmes of 90 seconds, over a year
