The Woodpecker Nest story

May-June 2017(about 47 days total elapsed time)

Here's the story...

Mating and Reproduction Red-bellied woodpeckers form mating pairs in the late winter and nest between March and early May. The species is thought to be monogamous, but new pairs form each season. The mated pair selects their nest site together. Nests are built in cavities carved into tree trunks, large tree limbs, or, sometimes, telephone poles or the wood siding of a house or other type of building. It takes a pair of red-bellied woodpeckers between 7 and 10 days to excavate their nest cavity. After the nest is completed, the female will lay 4 eggs, 1 egg per day, and then both the male and female will participate in the 12 day incubation. Males most commonly are on the nest during the night. After hatching, both parents actively feed and guard the nestlings for the next 3 or 4 weeks until they fledge. After fledging, the young may remain with the parents and continue to be fed and nurtured for up to 10 weeks. In the northern sections of their breeding range, red-bellied woodpeckers typically have a single clutch per season. In the southern portions of their range, though, 2 and sometimes even 3 clutches may be reared per year.