Baby red-cockaded woodpeckers: from egg to fledgling
A Red-cockaded Woodpecker lays 2–5 eggs. They hatch after 10–13 days, and the young leave the nest 26–29 days later — about 36–42 days from egg to fledgling.
- Eggs per clutch
- 2–5 eggs
- Incubation
- 10–13 days
- Time in the nest
- 26–29 days
- Egg to fledgling
- About 36–42 days
- Broods per year
- 1 per season
- Nest
- Cavity excavated in a living longleaf or loblolly pine
- Uses nest boxes
- No
Stage by stage
- Eggs (10–13 days): 2–5 eggs per clutch. Most songbirds start incubating when the last or second-to-last egg is laid, so the young hatch close together; owls and hawks start with the first egg, so their chicks hatch days apart.
- Nestlings (26–29 days): the young hatch with little or no down and their eyes closed. They grow fast on a diet the parents bring in. In the breeding season red-cockaded woodpeckers mainly eat ants, roaches, beetles and wood-boring larvae.
- Fledglings: after leaving the nest, young red-cockaded woodpeckers are fully feathered but short-tailed and clumsy. They spend days to weeks on low branches or the ground while the parents keep feeding them.
- More broods: 1 per season.
When red-cockaded woodpeckers nest, state by state
Nesting starts earliest in Alabama (Mar) and latest in Arkansas (Apr). Months are estimates from regional breeding data shifted for latitude.
| State / province | Nesting season |
|---|---|
| Alabama | Mar–Jun |
| Arkansas | Apr–Jun |
| Florida | Mar–Jun |
| Georgia | Mar–Jun |
| Louisiana | Mar–Jun |
| Mississippi | Mar–Jun |
| North Carolina | Apr–Jun |
| Oklahoma | Apr–Jun |
| South Carolina | Mar–Jun |
| Texas | Mar–Jun |
Found a baby Red-cockaded Woodpecker?
- Feathered, hopping, can grip your finger: a fledgling. This is a normal stage. Keep pets and children away and watch from a distance; the parents are usually close by.
- Bare skin or only pin feathers: a nestling that fell. If you can see the nest, put it back. Touching it won't make the parents abandon it — that is a myth.
- Injured, cold, covered in flies, or caught by a cat: contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator. In the US and Canada, ahnow.org finds the nearest one.
- Don't give water or food. Baby birds can choke, and the wrong food can kill them.
More about red-cockaded woodpeckers
Frequently asked
How long do baby red-cockaded woodpeckers stay in the nest?
About 26–29 days after hatching. Eggs take 10–13 days to hatch, so it is roughly 36–42 days from the last egg to the young leaving.
How many eggs does a Red-cockaded Woodpecker lay?
2–5 eggs per clutch, with 1 per season.
Where do red-cockaded woodpeckers nest?
Cavity excavated in a living longleaf or loblolly pine.
What should I do if I find a baby Red-cockaded Woodpecker on the ground?
If it has feathers and hops, it is a fledgling and its parents are almost certainly nearby — leave it. If it is naked or has pin feathers, put it back in the nest if you can. Call a licensed wildlife rehabilitator if it is injured.