Snapshot of a Red-bellied Woodpecker

I'm watching a red-bellied woodpecker bouncing around my tree like crazy. Do you think he's in distress or maybe just playing around? Holt, MI

I love to watch Red-bellied Woodpeckers. They can be real characters and always seem to be goofing around.

.

But what seems like erratic bouncing around to us is how they practice their evasive maneuvers. Their acrobatics in trees and on feeders is good practice for when they need to dance away from predators. .

,

Red-bellies are very clever birds and their average lifespan in the wild is over 12 years.[1]

.

References:
1. University of Michigan Museum of Zoology.