Several years ago we were taking a break while driving back to NY and went for a walk in Brigham County Park, in Dane County, Wisconsin. There were nesting RH Woodpeckers, an adult feeding nestlings, and this is part of the note I entered into eBird: > the color of the adult: it was as though the entire bird had been > dipped in strong tea for a couple of hours. The white parts were > sepia, the red head was duller (but did not appear to have any black > feathers - the feathers were all just reddish with a distinct brownish > tint) and even the black seemed dulled with an overlay of brown. > Didn't think to notice what kind of tree was hosting the nest - maybe > one that can leach a brown color from interior wood?
On 7/6/2023 7:42 PM, Kevin J. McGowan wrote: > > No, and no. :^( > > The sexes in Red-headed Woodpeckers are not distinguishable by > plumage. The difference in staining could very well be the consequence > of one bird being in the nest cavity more than the other, but it is > usually the male that does more incubation and brooding than the > female, as in most(?) woodpeckers. > > Described copulation displays, fide Birds of the World, do not > indicate any nape-grabbing like waterfowl or cats. Instead, there > seems to be switching of who’s on top, and back and forth, and other > moves. So, I would say feather loss on the back of the head is due to > something else, like earlier onset of molt than the other bird, or > something. > > Best, > > Kevin > > *From:* bounce-127549365-3493...@list.cornell.edu > <bounce-127549365-3493...@list.cornell.edu> *On Behalf Of *Dave Nutter > *Sent:* Thursday, July 6, 2023 4:51 PM > *To:* CAYUGABIRDS-L <cayugabird...@list.cornell.edu> > *Subject:* [cayugabirds-l] Red-headed Woodpeckers > > This morning I biked up to the east edge of the Town of Ithaca on a > successful quest to see the Red-headed Woodpeckers whose nest with > young was located by Tom Schulenberg over 2 1/2 weeks ago. I was able > to scope and photograph through a small gap in foliage at a respectful > enough distance that: the adults came to the nest hole several times > to feed one or more unseen nestlings; one adult went entirely inside > the cavity at least twice; for awhile in between feedings a large > nestling peered out of the cavity, appearing well-feathered on its > head and seeming large enough to be ready to fledge soon. The feedings > were frequent enough that I think the adults were only feeding at the > cavity, but once I located the cavity, I was not looking around to see > if they were also feeding any fledglings. Tom has noted plumage > differences between the two adults when they visit his feeders. I > noticed that one of the adults appeared immaculate, with bright white > secondaries and a solid crimson crown. The other adult had a slight > rusty tinge on the secondaries, several brown stains on the lower > breast plumage, and a patch of feathers apparently missing from the > rear of its crown; this was the adult who went inside the cavity each > of the two times I was able to tell. > > My question, for those of you more knowledgeable or research-oriented, > is this: Does the difference in plumage I noticed indicate who is > which sex? For instance, does the female spend a lot more time in the > nest cavity than the male, thus become more likely to get stained? > Does missing feathers on the back of the head indicate a female? That > is, do mating male woodpeckers grab the back of the head of females, > similar to mating ducks? Or is this patch of apparent missing feathers > due to something else? > > A link to my eBird checklist, with photos, is below. > > - - Dave Nutter > > - Checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S143727178 > > -- > > *Cayugabirds-L List Info:* > > Welcome and Basics <http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME> > > Rules and Information <http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES> > > Subscribe, Configuration and Leave > <http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm> > > *Archives:* > > The Mail Archive > <http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html> > > Surfbirds <http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds> > > BirdingOnThe.Net <http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html> > > *Please submit your observations to eBird > <http://ebird.org/content/ebird/>!* > > -- > > -- > *Cayugabirds-L List Info:* > Welcome and Basics <http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME> > Rules and Information <http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES> > Subscribe, Configuration and Leave > <http://www.northeastbirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm> > *Archives:* > The Mail Archive > <http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html> > Surfbirds <http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds> > BirdingOnThe.Net <http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html> > *Please submit your observations to eBird > <http://ebird.org/content/ebird/>!* > -- -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
