The red-bellied woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus) is a
medium-sized woodpecker of the Picidae family. It breeds in southern
Canada and the northeastern United States, ranging as far south as
Florida and as far west as Texas. Its common name is somewhat
misleading, as the most prominent red part of its plumage is on the
head; the red-headed woodpecker, however, is another species that is a
rather close relative but looks quite different. It was first
described in Linnaeus' Systema Naturae, as Picus carolinus. The type
locality is given simply as "America septentrionalis" (North America)
