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Sam Zeloof, Delaware Township School

Hunterdon County


Red-headed Woodpecker
Image of Red-headed woodpecker.Zoom+ Red-headed woodpecker. Sam Zeloof

Hi. My name is Melanerpes erythrocephalus, but you can call me red-headed woodpecker. I am about eight and a half inches long, which means I am a medium-sized bird. I am not a picky eater; my favorite foods are insects, seeds, fruit, spiders, earthworms, mice, corn, berries, nuts, and occasionally the eggs of other birds. I make my family’s nest on a high, well covered spot in a tree or on a dead limb of a tree. Did you know that I am the only type of bird with a fully red head? My red head helps scare other animals away, because it makes me look tough.

But even though I might look tough, I am a threatened species, which means I am in danger of becoming extinct. The biggest threat to my survival is that my favorite places to nest are becoming harder to find. Many people cut down dead or dying trees because they think they don’t look nice. Also, ever since the phone company started covering their poles with creosote, those poles don’t rot like they use to and I can’t make my nest in them anymore. I must protect myself as best as I can, but I can’t do it on my own. If you would like to help me or any other woodpeckers, you can leave dead trees on your property for us to nest in. We would also really appreciate it if as many of you as possible could make birdhouses and put them up for us.

I hope you will consider helping my red-headed friends and me. If you do, we promise to try and eat all of the nasty mosquitoes in your neighborhood!

Written by: Sam Zeloof
Delaware Township School
Sergeantsville, NJ
Teacher: Ms. Ferrante & Ms. Rutkowski