Common, but Commonly Overlooked: Red-bellied Woodpeckers as Songbird Nest Predators

Abstract

Woodpeckers in North America are not widely recognized as nest predators. In this paper, we describe several eyewitness accounts of songbird nest predation by Red-bellied Woodpeckers (Melanerpes carolinus), document evidence that songbirds recognize woodpeckers as nest predators, and show that our observations are consistent with previously published notes. We believe that this species, commonly overlooked, may be an important predator of songbird nests in many eastern North American forests.