The helpers are siblings from earlier broods.įlorida woodpeckers can be divided into 3 separate groups based on the food type and how they obtain it: Only an alfa pair breeds yearly, assisted by multiple non-breeding male and female helpers. The red-cockaded woodpecker is also monogamous but uses a cooperative breeding system. A breeding pair is composed of one male and one female. Red-cockaded woodpeckers are the only ones that reuse the same cavity for breeding or as roosting sites. Shape and measurements of the cavity entrance hole of Florida woodpeckers.Īll other woodpeckers have smaller round cavity entrance holes that vary in diameter depending on the species.įlorida woodpeckers do not reuse the same cavity the next breeding season but excavate a new one. Pileated woodpeckers make large oval entrance holes while northern flickers make smaller semi-oval ones. It is possible to associate a nesting cavity to the species of woodpecker based on the shape and size of the cavity entrance hole. The measurements of the nesting cavity entrance hole, depth, and size of the chamber vary according to the woodpecker species.

Size and shape of a woodpecker entrance hole The incubation period lasts only between nine and 14 days. Interestingly, woodpeckers do not build a typical nest inside the cavity but lay the eggs in a bed of wood chips accumulated there during the excavation of the cavity.ĭepending on the species, a female woodpecker lays from 2 -10 eggs where both parents incubate the egg during the day, but males always incubate during the night. The red-cockaded woodpecker is the only one that excavates in life pine trees and may take up to a year to complete a cavity. In all species, the male and female excavate a nesting cavity in dead wood, incubate the eggs, and feed the young.Įxcavating a new nesting cavity may take 2-3 weeks for woodpeckers that make them in dead wood. Woodpeckers in Florida have similar breeding habitats. The size of the entrance hole and the interior chamber vary with the species’ size.

The nest cavity of woodpeckers Cross-section of typical woodpecker cavity. The weight of the Florida woodpeckers indicates their size more accurately than their length. The largest pileated woodpecker is 13.5 times bigger than the smallest, downy woodpecker. The graph below illustrates the proportional difference in size among Florida woodpeckers. Table showing the individual weights and lengths of Florida woodpeckers.

In the field, size differences may not allow species to be distinguished reliably. There is a relatively small difference in size between the two smaller groups. The minute downy woodpecker weighs about 0.8 ounces, making it the smallest of all woodpeckers. The small size group consists of yellow-bellied sapsuckers, red-cockaded woodpeckers, and downy woodpeckers. Both pileated woodpeckers (10.5 oz) and northern flickers (4.7 oz) are noticeably larger than the others.Īmong the medium-sized woodpeckers are red-bellied, red-headed, and hairy woodpeckers, averaging 2.5 ounces in weight. The woodpeckers found in Florida can be divided into four size groups based on their size. The largest and smallest Florida woodpecker It has a bright crimson head, and males and females are indistinguishable. The handsome red-headed woodpecker is an exception. Males have red patches, which are missing in the females. Males and females are distinguished by patches of red on the backs of their heads. In Florida, most woodpeckers have a combination of black, white, and red feathers.

Woodpecker types