William H. Wiley
402-875-1809
bill@wmwiley.com
1221 Rockhurst Dr.
Lincoln, NE 68510
The red-bellied woodpecker is a medium-sized woodpecker common in many Eastern woodlands and forests, preferring old stands of oak and hickory trees to young hardwoods and pines. 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 close relative but looks quite different. The red-bellied woodpecker uses its bill as a chisel for foraging, drilling into bark or probing cracks on trunk of trees, pulling out beetles and other insects with the help of its long tongue.
Faster than a speeding bullet, a tricolored heron can catch a small fish with its pointed beak. This heron stood motionless in a shallow marsh for nearly two minutes before its head darted below the water, coming up with its next meal.
Displaying the grace of a ballerina, a Great Blue Heron surveys its surroundings in Louisiana bayou. Great Blue Herons typically live in and around salt and fresh-water environments, have wingspans up to six feet and fly approximately 25 mph.
