The red-bellied woodpecker occupies that spot in my mind where they are common enough to be easily identified yet uncommon enough to be quite exciting to see in person. Its largely cream colored body and lack of black eye stripes makes it stand out for me, especially when compared to the more “traditional” woodpecker coloration that I am used to seeing. I had always wondered why it was called red-bellied as opposed to the red-headed. While it does indeed have a red belly, that part of the bird is often obscured and it is its red head that stands out. I then found out about the existence of the red-headed woodpecker and it all made sense to me.