Red-bellied Woodpecker
Red-bellied Woodpecker has increased: up 48% on the route-weighted index since 1968.
About the Red-bellied Woodpecker
The Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus) is a North American member of the Woodpeckers (Picidae). In this analysis it is grouped with the forest birds.
- Size
- 6–19.5 in long (15–50 cm) — a chisel-billed climber (typical for the family)
- Habitat
- Woodlands and forest edges, including wooded suburbs and parks.
- Diet
- Insects and spiders gleaned from foliage and bark, with seeds and berries in season.
- Range
- Recorded on 2,371 Breeding Bird Survey routes across 37 states, most concentrated in the Appalachian Mountains.
- Family
- Picidae · Forest birds
Notable Red-bellied Woodpecker Trends
No notable trend signals for Red-bellied Woodpecker. See the full index history below.
Red-bellied Woodpecker Population Forecast
If the recent trend holds, Red-bellied Woodpecker is projected to stay roughly flat through 2029, near 5.7 (95% range 4.9–6.5). A 5-year backtest shows a typical error of ±4.8%, with 100% of held-out values landing inside the 95% band.
| Year | Projected index | 95% low | 95% high |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 5.5 | 4.7 | 6.3 |
| 2026 | 5.6 | 4.8 | 6.4 |
| 2027 | 5.6 | 4.8 | 6.4 |
| 2028 | 5.7 | 4.9 | 6.5 |
| 2029 | 5.7 | 4.9 | 6.5 |
Where the Red-bellied Woodpecker Is Detected
BBS routes recording Red-bellied Woodpecker, sized by most recent count.
Red-bellied Woodpecker Population Trend by State
| Alabama | +51% | 1968 | 109 |
| Arkansas | +68% | 1969 | 61 |
| Connecticut | 24× | 1979 | 20 |
| Delaware | +134% | 1968 | 17 |
| Florida | +54% | 1968 | 126 |
| Georgia | +18% | 1968 | 111 |
| Illinois | +257% | 1968 | 105 |
| Indiana | +86% | 1968 | 68 |
| Iowa | +163% | 1969 | 39 |
| Kansas | +354% | 1969 | 57 |
| Kentucky | +45% | 1968 | 64 |
| Louisiana | +289% | 1969 | 95 |
| Maine | insufficient data | n/a | 14 |
| Maryland | +120% | 1968 | 76 |
| Massachusetts | 22× | 1997 | 26 |
| Michigan | 18× | 1968 | 80 |
| Minnesota | +970% | 1969 | 60 |
| Mississippi | +205% | 1968 | 74 |
| Missouri | +85% | 1969 | 94 |
| Nebraska | +596% | 1970 | 39 |
| New Hampshire | 44× | 2004 | 14 |
| New Jersey | 26× | 1968 | 41 |
| New York | 89× | 1969 | 93 |
| North Carolina | +52% | 1968 | 109 |
| North Dakota | insufficient data | n/a | 6 |
| Ohio | +334% | 1968 | 88 |
| Oklahoma | +46% | 1969 | 66 |
| Pennsylvania | 45× | 1968 | 130 |
| Rhode Island | +953% | 2006 | 4 |
| South Carolina | +2% | 1968 | 51 |
| South Dakota | insufficient data | n/a | 5 |
| Tennessee | +89% | 1968 | 55 |
| Texas | +27% | 1969 | 122 |
| Vermont | +795% | 2006 | 11 |
| Virginia | -19% | 1968 | 86 |
| West Virginia | +304% | 1968 | 63 |
| Wisconsin | +756% | 1968 | 92 |
Red-bellied Woodpecker Population Trend by Region
Bird Conservation Regions are the ecological unit for trends.
| Prairie Potholes | +129% | 1970 | 45 |
| Boreal Hardwood Transition | 40× | 1978 | 71 |
| Lower Great Lakes / St. Lawrence Plain | 31× | 1968 | 74 |
| Atlantic Northern Forest | 48× | 1995 | 45 |
| Central Mixed Grass Prairie | +234% | 1969 | 93 |
| Edwards Plateau | +15% | 1973 | 10 |
| Oaks and Prairies | +65% | 1969 | 69 |
| Eastern Tallgrass Prairie | +251% | 1968 | 276 |
| Prairie Hardwood Transition | +811% | 1968 | 158 |
| Central Hardwoods | +37% | 1968 | 166 |
| West Gulf Coastal Plain / Ouachitas | +95% | 1969 | 109 |
| Mississippi Alluvial Valley | +202% | 1968 | 73 |
| Southeastern Coastal Plain | +54% | 1968 | 346 |
| Appalachian Mountains | +392% | 1968 | 389 |
| Piedmont | +106% | 1968 | 170 |
| New England / Mid-Atlantic Coast | +104% | 1968 | 153 |
| Peninsular Florida | +29% | 1968 | 81 |
| Gulf Coastal Prairie | +42% | 1969 | 36 |
Red-bellied Woodpecker Conservation Status
Our route-weighted index shows it up about 48% since 1968.
Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-05-22. Trend is a route-weighted relative-abundance index, not an absolute population.