Red-bellied Woodpecker
Melanerpes carolinus
Here is the call of an adult approaching a nest hole containing young. The young can be heard begging in the background. (Rensselaer County, New York.)
Habitat: Woods, suburbs.
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Sphyrapicus varius
A common call is a mewing neeaa. Like other woodpeckers it drums on resonant tree trunks. Its drum is a short series of four or five rapid raps followed by slower sometimes paired rapping. (Calls by two males, Albany County; drum, Washington County, New York.)
Habitat: Deciduous woods, orchards.
Hairy Woodpecker
Picoides villosus
The sharp peek call is the most common call of the Hairy Woodpecker. It is given all year by both sexes as a contact call and in a variety of other situations. The rapid sputter call is given by alarmed birds. Both males and females drum. Males drum to establish territory and both males and females drum during courtship. The drum is evenly paced. (Three birds, Albany County, New York.)
Habitat: Woodlands, suburbs.
Woodpecker, American Three-Toed
Picoides dorsalis
Chicks call incessantly from the nest hole. When a parent arrives to feed them, they make different, much louder begging calls and sound demanding. (Fairbanks Area, Alaska)
Habitat: Burned over or insect-infested coniferous forests with many dead or dying trees.
Northern Flicker
Colaptes auratus
The flicker's song is a series of sharp "kekeke" notes. It is made by both males and females and usually lasts about 5 seconds, but it can be much longer. Flickers begin singing before forming pairs and continue until the families break up in the fall. Well developed chicks make a sharp "weew" and begging calls while in the nest cavity. In this recording, the chick was calling "weew" and then switched to the begging call as the adult approached the nest hole. You can hear when the chick was fed, as the chick's voice was muffled when the adult's beak was in its mouth. (Albany and Saratoga Counties, New York.)
Habitat: Woods, parks, suburbs, farmlands.