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Hello, I live in St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada and saw a bird with a totally red head and a totally black body, the beak was semi-long and it was as big if not bigger than the Northern Flicker I saw in the same area.  We have a dog berry tree in our backyard and it still had berries up until about 2 weeks.  So, in early January 2008 lots of different birds showed up to fill up.  I also saw a black and canary-yellow bird, it had the two colors all over its body and was the size of an American Robin.  Can someone please confirm if I did see a Red-headed Woodpecker, in Newfoundland.  Thank you in advance.  bye4now Neil.  P.S. I am going to leave my camera by the kitchen window just in case they show up again.

Sounds like a red headed woodpecker, but I am not sure . The other bird almost sounds like a gold finch.

If you could find a picture of each ( look in Audubon, Sibley, National Geog guides) that really helps!

They tend to be "tree clingers" , so behaviour would help with the ID.

Newfoundland is out of the Red-headed's range; also it's smaller than a flicker. Seems more likely to be Pileated; was the red head a crest? Also, if the size description of the yellow & black bird is accurate, it's much too large for a goldfinch. Photos, please, if at all possible.

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"I put it down. you gotta pick it up." —Thelonious Monk

What about yellow headed black bird? I was going by color, sometimes size is misleading.

Hello, I did look thru Birds of North America and that is the closes looking bird there, the red-headed woodpecker.  I did also lookup the Pileated and it's close, but that bird looks long and skinny and this guy sat there like a big breasted robin but bigger, almost the size of a seagul and shaped like one too but with a big breast.  This bird was two-tune, Red and black.  I am almost 100% sure.

It looked kinda scary too and its head was all red (no doubt about that) and its breast was Black.  It might of had some white on its body, its been about two weeks since I seen it but 95% black for sure.  It was as big as the North Flicker I saw, maybe even I little bigger, so I do not know if that helps.

We have a dog berry tree and a couple of weeks back, all the birds that were in the neighbor and surrounding area came calling, so they were just eating berries.  Actually, the red-headed bird was just sitting there, I did not see him eat any berries.  All the berries are gone now so not much chance of seeing it until next winter.

I look at the Pileated bird and it kinda looks like it but its head was more like a dove's head, round and smooth looking.

I do have the camera, sitting on the window ledge, just in case though.

Thanks for your input.

Neil

I could be a Red breasted sapsucker. Try looking at that. My second pick would be a Red headed woodpecker.

Hello, the Yellow was all through the bird, tabby kinda.  It was the size of a black bird.  The head might have been yellow, you might be right.

Thanks for the input.

Neil
 

Hello, I answered your question when replying to another person.  The entire head was red and it was kinda fat looking, not tall and skinny.  It sat like a big breasted robin, but larger.

Thanks for your reply

Neil 

Hello.  I looked at it and its head looks kinda right but that bird looks looks like a canary and the one I saw was dove looking.  It was a very smooth looking bird and a candy apple red head.

Thanks for your help.

Neil 

hello, I looked at the Gold finch of Nova Scotia and its looked like that, but had a lot more black, it was 50/50 Yellow and black, maybe 60/40 either way, but is was shaped like the finch.

Thanks for your input.

Neil
 

 

No North American woodpecker is all black and red. The Red-headed Woodpecker has a solid white breast and belly, as well as a large white spot on its lower wings and rump. The Pileated, on the other hand, has a solid black back, and a lot of red on the head as well. Though usually the Pileated looks tall and skinny, it can hunch down and puff out to make itself look fatter than it is, so the posture isn't always helpful.

Another important identifying feature is that a Pileated is rather large - almost the size of a crow.  Where a red headed woodpecker is not as large.  The Pileated has a larger wingspan and the wings have flashes of white underneath as they fly.  The Pileated also has a red "tuft" on his head - like a cardinal and he has white stripes on his face.  He almost looks prehistoric. 

We have a couple that live in our woods behind our house so I get to watch them quite often. 

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Sharon Calahan

 

We need pictures. Where's the Nikon when you need it?

hello, i have been looking through all the different types of woodpeckers and the closes one it the White-headed Woodpecker, here is a pic I found that looks like the bird, except the head it white.  It's a dead ringer!!!

 http://birdweb.org/birdweb/bird_details.aspx?id=276

It very very close, I guess it could be a hybrid white-headed woodpecker.  It's the only one that really fits.  The head did not look like a cardinal-head at all.  This bird's head was completely red, no doubt about that.  And the Breast was jet black.  I only saw two colors, black and red, with a semi-long beak.

Thanks for your input.

Neil

Judging by range & general description, Pileated still seems the most likely. The habitat & range are all wrong for the Maritimes for the White-headed.

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"I put it down. you gotta pick it up." —Thelonious Monk