The red-cockaded woodpecker's most distinguishing feature is a black cap and nape that encircle large white cheek patches.

Rarely visible, except perhaps during the breeding season and periods of territorial defense, the male has a small red streak on each side of its black cap called a cockade, hence its name.

[12][13] The red-cockaded woodpecker feeds primarily on ants, beetles, cockroaches, caterpillars, wood-boring insects, and spiders, and occasionally fruit and berries.

The other group members, called helpers, usually males from the previous breeding season, help incubate the eggs and raise the young.

[15] Studies have also explored the possibility that southern flying squirrels might have a negative impact on red-cockaded woodpecker populations due competition over cavities and predation on eggs and nestlings.

[16] Historically, this woodpecker's range extended in the southeastern United States from Florida to New Jersey and Maryland, as far west as eastern Texas and Oklahoma, and inland to Missouri, Kentucky, and Tennessee.

The older pines favored by the red-cockaded woodpecker often suffer from a fungal infection called red heart rot which attacks the center of the trunk, causing the inner wood, the heartwood, to become soft.

[19] Their cavities are used secondarily by at least 27 species of vertebrates, including small birds (e.g., eastern bluebirds, tufted titmouse, and great crested flycatcher),[19][20] mammals (e.g., evening bat),[20] herpetofauna (e.g., broad-headed skinks, gray treefrogs),[16] and invertebrates (e.g., wasps, bees, moths, and ants).

When a larger cluster of birds gets split up, it is difficult for the young to find mates and eventually becomes an issue regarding species dispersal.

The use of controlled burning must be exercised with caution due to the highly flammable resin barriers formed by the woodpecker.

[23] In an effort to increase the red-cockaded woodpecker population, states such as Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, and Georgia's wildlife management are creating artificial cavities in Longleaf Pine trees.

The most respected and latest approach is to carve out a nesting cavity in the tree and insert a man-made rot-resistant wooden box with a PVC pipe small enough for only a red-cockaded woodpecker to fit through.

[24] Due to the energetically expensive process of excavating new cavities, more energy is expended competing for existing home ranges rather than colonizing new areas.

[27] A study suggested that managers establish new woodpecker clusters away from streams and limit the use of excess cavities, both factors important in the recruitment of flying squirrels.

[29] Private landowners are prohibited from modifying habitats or taking animals that are protected by the Endangered Species Act (ESA).