Red-bellied Woodpecker Sounds

Overview
ID info
Life History
Maps
Sounds

Calls
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New York, March 22, 2020Recorded by Jay McGowan / Macaulay Library
Calls
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West Virginia, April 19, 2020Recorded by Wil Hershberger / Macaulay Library
Calls
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Florida, November 28, 2009Recorded by Bob McGuire / Macaulay Library
Calls
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West Virginia, April 04, 2020Recorded by Wil Hershberger / Macaulay Library
Calls
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West Virginia, March 29, 2020Recorded by Wil Hershberger / Macaulay Library
Calls
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West Virginia, February 23, 2020Recorded by Wil Hershberger / Macaulay Library
Calls
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New York, December 08, 2017Recorded by Glen Chapman / Macaulay Library
Drum
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South Carolina, April 11, 2020Recorded by Steven Biggers / Macaulay Library
Juvenile calls
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West Virginia, May 17, 2020Recorded by Wil Hershberger / Macaulay Library

Sounds provided by Macaulay Library.
Listen to more sounds of this species from the ML archive.

Calls

The Red-bellied Woodpecker’s most common call is a shrill, rolling kwirr or churr given by both sexes. You might also hear a gruff, coughing cha cha cha sounding through the woods, usually a contact call between mates, or a throaty growl exchanged when birds are close together.

Other Sounds

Drumming (hammering against a loud or resonant object) is the woodpecker equivalent of singing. Male Red-bellied Woodpeckers drum steadily at about 19 beats per second for 1 second or so at a time.