Bird
Red-headed Woodpecker
Melanerpes erythrocephalus
Lives in Virginia all year and nests here. Found in all 133 counties and cities, across 14 habitats.
- Here
- All year
- Nesting
- Nests here
- Range
- All 133 counties and cities
- Habitats
- 14

At a glance
- Group
- Birds
- Here
- All year
- Nesting
- Nests here
- Range
- All 133 counties and cities
- Habitats
- 14
- Habitat models
- Summer, Winter
Where it lives
The places its habitat model includes. It is not found everywhere a habitat occurs.
Habitats in Virginia 14
Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.
Glades, barrens and outcrops on limestone







Streams, rivers and their banks


Forests and open woodlands on dry ridges and slopes, often oak or pine.
Floodplain and bottomland forests
Forests on low ground beside rivers and streams that flood from time to time.
Flat, poorly drained uplands and terraces with oaks, sweetgum and sometimes loblolly pine, wet in winter and dry in summer, but neither a floodplain nor a swamp.
Forests between dry and moist, often oak-hickory on slopes.
Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground
Ground opened by people: roadsides, old fields, pastures, fencerows and lots.
Other habitats in its models (126)
Land cover, or classes with no habitat page in Virginia.
- Developed, Low Intensity Summer.
- Orchards Vineyards and Other High Structure Agriculture Summer.
- East Gulf Coastal Plain Limestone Forest Summer.
- East Gulf Coastal Plain Northern Loess Plain Oak-Hickory Upland - Hardwood Modifier Summer and winter.
- Northeastern Interior Dry Oak Forest-Hardwood Modifier Summer and winter.
- East Gulf Coastal Plain Northern Loess Plain Oak-Hickory Upland - Juniper Modifier Summer and winter.
- Northeastern Interior Dry Oak Forest - Mixed Modifier Summer and winter.
- East Gulf Coastal Plain Black Belt Calcareous Prairie and Woodland - Herbaceous Modifier Summer.
- Ozark-Ouachita Dry-Mesic Oak Forest Summer and winter.
- Southern Interior Low Plateau Dry-Mesic Oak Forest Summer and winter.
- East Gulf Coastal Plain Northern Dry Upland Hardwood Forest Summer.
- Crosstimbers Oak Forest and Woodland Summer and winter.
- North-Central Interior Dry-Mesic Oak Forest and Woodland Summer and winter.
- North-Central Interior Dry Oak Forest and Woodland Summer and winter.
- Ouachita Montane Oak Forest Summer.
- North-Central Interior Beech-Maple Forest Summer and winter.
- North-Central Interior Maple-Basswood Forest Summer and winter.
- East Gulf Coastal Plain Northern Loess Bluff Forest Summer.
- East Gulf Coastal Plain Southern Loess Bluff Forest Summer.
- Southern Coastal Plain Dry Upland Hardwood Forest Summer.
- Central and South Texas Coastal Fringe Forest and Woodland Summer and winter.
- West Gulf Coastal Plain Chenier and Upper Texas Coastal Fringe Forest and Woodland Summer.
- Mississippi River Alluvial Plain Dry-Mesic Loess Slope Forest Summer and winter.
- East-Central Texas Plains Post Oak Savanna and Woodland Summer and winter.
- East-Central Texas Plains Riparian Forest Summer and winter.
- Southern Coastal Plain Oak Dome and Hammock Summer.
- Ozark-Ouachita Dry Oak Woodland Summer and winter.
- Lower Mississippi River Dune Woodland and Forest Summer.
- Edwards Plateau Limestone Savanna and Woodland Summer.
- Southern Crowley's Ridge Mesic Loess Slope Forest Summer.
- West Gulf Coastal Plain Mesic Hardwood Forest Summer and winter.
- East Gulf Coastal Plain Northern Mesic Hardwood Forest Summer and winter.
- Ozark-Ouachita Mesic Hardwood Forest Summer.
- East Gulf Coastal Plain Southern Mesic Slope Forest Summer.
- East Gulf Coastal Plain Interior Shortleaf Pine-Oak Forest - Hardwood Modifier Summer and winter.
- East Gulf Coastal Plain Black Belt Calcareous Prairie and Woodland - Woodland Modifier Summer.
- Southern Piedmont Dry Oak-(Pine) Forest - Loblolly Pine Modifier Summer.
- Southern Ridge and Valley Dry Calcareous Forest - Pine modifier Summer.
- East Gulf Coastal Plain Interior Shortleaf Pine-Oak Forest - Mixed Modifier Summer and winter.
- Southern Piedmont Dry Oak-(Pine) Forest - Mixed Modifier Summer.
- Southern Piedmont Dry Oak-Heath Forest - Mixed Modifier Summer and winter.
- West Gulf Coastal Plain Upland Longleaf Pine Forest and Woodland Summer.
- Southeastern Interior Longleaf Pine Woodland Summer.
- Central Interior Highlands Dry Acidic Glade and Barrens Summer.
- Ozark-Ouachita Shortleaf Pine-Oak Forest and Woodland Summer and winter.
- West Gulf Coastal Plain Pine-Hardwood Forest Summer and winter.
- West Gulf Coastal Plain Sandhill Oak and Shortleaf Pine Forest and Woodland Summer.
- East Gulf Coastal Plain Interior Upland Longleaf Pine Woodland - Offsite Hardwood Modifier Summer and winter.
- Florida Longleaf Pine Sandhill - Open Understory Modifier Summer.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Fall-Line Sandhills Longleaf Pine Woodland - Loblolly Modifier Summer.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Fall-line Sandhills Longleaf Pine Woodland - Open Understory Modifier Summer.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Fall-line Sandhills Longleaf Pine Woodland - Scrub/Shrub Understory Modifier Summer.
- East Gulf Coastal Plain Interior Upland Longleaf Pine Woodland - Loblolly Modifier Summer.
- East Gulf Coastal Plain Interior Upland Longleaf Pine Woodland - Open Understory Modifier Summer.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Upland Longleaf Pine Woodland Summer.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Fall-line Sandhills Longleaf Pine Woodland - Offsite Hardwood Modifier Summer.
- Florida Peninsula Inland Scrub Summer.
- North-Central Interior Oak Savanna Summer and winter.
- North-Central Oak Barrens Summer.
- Southern Piedmont Glade and Barrens Summer.
- Nashville Basin Limestone Glade Summer.
- Central Appalachian Alkaline Glade and Woodland Summer.
- Central Interior Highlands Calcareous Glade and Barrens Summer.
- Eastern Highland Rim Prairie and Barrens - Dry Modifier Summer.
- Central Mixedgrass Prairie Summer.
- Arkansas Valley Prairie and Woodland Summer.
- Florida Dry Prairie Summer.
- West Gulf Coastal Plain Northern Calcareous Prairie Summer.
- West Gulf Coastal Plain Southern Calcareous Prairie Summer.
- East Gulf Coastal Plain Jackson Prairie and Woodland Summer.
- Recently Logged Areas Summer.
- Harvested Forest - Grass/Forb Regeneration Summer.
- Recently Burned Summer.
- Recently Burned Forest Summer.
- Recently Burned Grassland Summer.
- Introduced Upland Vegetation - Forbland Summer.
- Introduced Upland Vegetation - Annual Grassland Summer.
- Introduced Upland Vegetation - Perennial Grassland Summer.
- Introduced Upland Vegetation - Perennial Grassland and Forbland Summer.
- Southern Coastal Plain Nonriverine Basin Swamp - Okefenokee Taxodium Modifier Summer.
- Southern Coastal Plain Nonriverine Basin Swamp - Okefenokee Bay/Gum Modifier Summer.
- Southern Coastal Plain Nonriverine Basin Swamp - Okefenokee Pine Modifier Summer.
- Southern Coastal Plain Nonriverine Basin Swamp - Okefenokee Nupea Modifier Summer.
- Southern Coastal Plain Nonriverine Basin Swamp - Okefenokee Clethra Modifier Summer.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Clay-Based Carolina Bay Herbaceous Wetland Summer.
- Floridian Highlands Freshwater Marsh Summer.
- West Gulf Coastal Plain Near-Coast Large River Swamp Summer and winter.
- South Florida Bayhead Swamp Winter.
- Southern Coastal Plain Nonriverine Basin Swamp Summer and winter.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Clay-Based Carolina Bay Forested Wetland Summer.
- South Florida Wet Marl Prairie Summer.
- East Gulf Coastal Plain Savanna and Wet Prairie Summer.
- Eastern Great Plains Wet Meadow, Prairie, and Marsh Summer.
- Lower Mississippi River Bottomland Depressions - Forest Modifier Summer and winter.
- Western Great Plains Depressional Wetland Systems Winter.
- Mississippi River Bottomland Depression Summer and winter.
- East Gulf Coastal Plain Large River Floodplain Forest - Forest Modifier Summer and winter.
- East Gulf Coastal Plain Large River Floodplain Forest - Herbaceous Modifier Summer.
- South-Central Interior Large Floodplain - Herbaceous Modifier Summer.
- Western Great Plains Floodplain Systems Summer.
- Eastern Great Plains Floodplain Systems Summer and winter.
- Tamaulipan Riparian Systems Summer.
- Mississippi River Riparian Forest Summer and winter.
- Mississippi River Low Floodplain (Bottomland) Forest Summer and winter.
- Southern Coastal Plain Hydric Hammock Summer and winter.
- West Gulf Coastal Plain Large River Floodplain Forest Summer.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Small Blackwater River Floodplain Forest Summer.
- Red River Large Floodplain Forest Summer.
- East Gulf Coastal Plain Small Stream and River Floodplain Forest Summer.
- Southern Coastal Plain Blackwater River Floodplain Forest Summer.
- Mississippi River Floodplain and Riparian Forest Summer and winter.
- Ozark-Ouachita Riparian Summer.
- East Gulf Coastal Plain Jackson Plain Dry Flatwoods - Open Understory Modifier Summer.
- East Gulf Coastal Plain Near-Coast Pine Flatwoods - Offsite Hardwood Modifier Summer.
- East Gulf Coastal Plain Near-Coast Pine Flatwoods - Open Understory Modifier Summer.
- South Florida Pine Flatwoods Summer.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Southern Wet Pine Savanna and Flatwoods Summer.
- West Gulf Coastal Plain Wet Longleaf Pine Savanna and Flatwoods Summer.
- Central Florida Pine Flatwoods Summer.
- East Gulf Coastal Plain Near-Coast Pine Flatwoods Summer.
- East Gulf Coastal Plain Southern Loblolly-Hardwood Flatwoods Summer and winter.
- South-Central Interior / Upper Coastal Plain Wet Flatwoods Summer and winter.
- West Gulf Coastal Plain Pine-Hardwood Flatwoods Summer and winter.
- North-Central Interior Wet Flatwoods Summer and winter.
- Lower Mississippi River Flatwoods Summer.
- West Gulf Coastal Plain Nonriverine Wet Hardwood Flatwoods Summer and winter.
- The model notes avoidance of dense, continuous forest.
Seasons in Virginia
- Year-round: nests here, in all 133 counties and cities.
Also found in this habitat
Plants 1054
Plants named in NatureServe descriptions of these habitats that grow in Virginia. Shared habitat, not food.
- Red MapleAcer rubrum
- White OakQuercus alba
- Flowering DogwoodBenthamidia florida
- Pignut HickoryCarya glabra
- TuliptreeLiriodendron tulipifera
- Virginia CreeperParthenocissus quinquefolia
- American BeechFagus grandifolia
- White AshFraxinus americana
- Christmas FernPolystichum acrostichoides
- Mountain LaurelKalmia latifolia
- Northern SpicebushLindera benzoin
- SweetgumLiquidambar styraciflua
- Mockernut HickoryCarya tomentosa
- SourwoodOxydendrum arboreum
- Sugar MapleAcer saccharum
- Shagbark HickoryCarya ovata
- American GinsengPanax quinquefolius
- Loblolly PinePinus taeda
- Post OakQuercus stellata
- American HornbeamCarpinus caroliniana
- Canada Wood-nettleLaportea canadensis
- BlackgumNyssa sylvatica
- Southern Red OakQuercus falcata
- Chestnut OakQuercus montana
Wildlife 226
Other animals whose habitat models include the same habitats in Virginia. Not sighting records.
- Chipping SparrowSpizella passerina
- Dark-eyed JuncoJunco hyemalis
- Eastern TowheePipilo erythrophthalmus
- Eastern Wood-peweeContopus virens
- Hermit ThrushCatharus guttatus
- Red-winged BlackbirdAgelaius phoeniceus
- Ruby-throated HummingbirdArchilochus colubris
- White-throated SparrowZonotrichia albicollis
- Wood ThrushHylocichla mustelina
- Black-and-White WarblerMniotilta varia
- Broad-winged HawkButeo platypterus
- Brown ThrasherToxostoma rufum
- Common RavenCorvus corax
- Double-crested CormorantPhalacrocorax auritus
- Eurasian Collared-doveStreptopelia decaocto
- Red-shouldered HawkButeo lineatus
- Ruffed GrouseBonasa umbellus
- White-breasted NuthatchSitta carolinensis
- Yellow-billed CuckooCoccyzus americanus
- Alder FlycatcherEmpidonax alnorum
- American RedstartSetophaga ruticilla
- Belted KingfisherMegaceryle alcyon
- Black-billed CuckooCoccyzus erythropthalmus
- Black-capped ChickadeePoecile atricapillus
NatureServe Explorer, CC BY 4.0. USGS Gap Analysis Project habitat models.
Sources
- USGS Gap Analysis Project habitat models (2001)
- USGS GAP winter habitat model for Red-headed Woodpecker
- USGS Gap Analysis Project range maps (2001), modeled by watershed; migratory gives no dates
- NatureServe Explorer (CC BY 4.0), habitat names
- US Census TIGER/Line counties
- Names follow the USGS Gap Analysis Project (2001)

















































