What Kind of Bird Is Woody?

Obviously Andy Panda is a panda and Charlie Chicken a traditional barnyard chicken, but did you ever wonder what kind of woodpecker is Woody the Woodpecker? Well, I found the answer at a cool site.

According to the site http://www.pestproducts.com/, Woody is a red headed woodpecker.

The site owner wrote, "Ever wonder what type of woodpecker Woody Woodpecker was? From his identifying marks, Woody was a Red Headed Woodpecker. These woodpeckers range in size from seven to nine inches and are identified by their white chest, red head, bluish gray bill and white markings in their wings."

The site went on to say, "In the summer, Red Headed Woodpeckers are found east of the Rocky Mountains and west of New England, in the winter they are found mainly in southwest Texas. Red Headed Woodpeckers eat beech and oak bark, seeds, nuts, berries, fruit, insects, bird eggs and mice. They produce five to seven eggs in nests found in dead trees or dead branches. These birds breed in woodlands, river bottoms, orchards, and swamps and are attracted to burnt or recent clearings."

Cool facts about the Red Headed Woodpecker: They are very territorial often attacking other birds and even going to great lengths to remove other birds' eggs from nests, and they sometimes puncture duck eggs. Red Headed Woodpeckers are one of four types of woodpeckers to store their food in wood or bark. They hide insects such as grasshoppers in cracks of wood and under roof shingles, according to pestproducts.com.

So, now we know more about Walter Lantz' famous bird. Be sure to check back for more information on Woody Woodpecker and other cartoon folk.