<p class="">I have a robust collection of bird books and some that are over a century old. I was recently looking over B<em>irds of America</em> originally published in 1917 but I think my copy is from the 1930s. I was just doijng some casual browsing about woodpeckers and came across the section of other names for red-bellied woodpecker:</p>
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<p class="">Male red-bellied woodpecker.</p>
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<p class="">Zebra Bird (looking at their backs, makes sense)<br>Zebra-back (ok)<br>Chad (Wait…what?)<br>Shamshack (OK, now you’re just making this up)<br>Ramshack (What next, Abendego?)<br><br>OK, the “zebra bird” and “zebra-back” are actually better names than red-bellied woodpecker. But I was curious about “chad.”</p>
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<img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53b038a9e4b044d9476ee0e3/0f38c3c7-0a22-4c58-890c-353066ddaacf/red-bellied+woodpecker+and+robins.jpg" data-image-dimensions="2826x2049" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53b038a9e4b044d9476ee0e3/0f38c3c7-0a22-4c58-890c-353066ddaacf/red-bellied+woodpecker+and+robins.jpg?format=1000w" width="2826" height="2049" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53b038a9e4b044d9476ee0e3/0f38c3c7-0a22-4c58-890c-353066ddaacf/red-bellied+woodpecker+and+robins.jpg?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53b038a9e4b044d9476ee0e3/0f38c3c7-0a22-4c58-890c-353066ddaacf/red-bellied+woodpecker+and+robins.jpg?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53b038a9e4b044d9476ee0e3/0f38c3c7-0a22-4c58-890c-353066ddaacf/red-bellied+woodpecker+and+robins.jpg?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53b038a9e4b044d9476ee0e3/0f38c3c7-0a22-4c58-890c-353066ddaacf/red-bellied+woodpecker+and+robins.jpg?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53b038a9e4b044d9476ee0e3/0f38c3c7-0a22-4c58-890c-353066ddaacf/red-bellied+woodpecker+and+robins.jpg?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53b038a9e4b044d9476ee0e3/0f38c3c7-0a22-4c58-890c-353066ddaacf/red-bellied+woodpecker+and+robins.jpg?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53b038a9e4b044d9476ee0e3/0f38c3c7-0a22-4c58-890c-353066ddaacf/red-bellied+woodpecker+and+robins.jpg?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs">
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<p class="">A chad coming in for a drink while a couple of robins wrestle in the bath. </p>
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<p class=""><strong>According to the book, “Chad is also a common appellation in some of the middle western States.” And it goes on later to say, “…upon alighting often gives voice to the harsh, brassy, cry of <em>chad, chad</em>, from one of its local names has been acquired.”</strong> That actually makes sense. In my brain I hear red-bellies as saying, <a href="https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/230037631"><em>chew chew</em> </a>when they give their call, so chad isn’t too far of a stretch…but shamshack and ramshack? I did some mild googling and found another great name, <a href="https://www.knoxnews.com/story/entertainment/columnists/marcia-davis/2016/09/24/marcia-davis-redbellied-woodpeckers-name-illogical-creates-confusion/91115544/">jamjack</a>! The article says that it is also derived from some of the calls that I might call chew chew. So, I guess I will forever be noting chads out my window shouting “shamshack!”</p>
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<img data-stretch="false" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53b038a9e4b044d9476ee0e3/7a6af77a-6ca5-4a06-b2a8-ad5c2a98726e/Red-bellied+Woodpecker+Tongue.JPG" data-image-dimensions="3264x2448" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" elementtiming="system-image-block" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53b038a9e4b044d9476ee0e3/7a6af77a-6ca5-4a06-b2a8-ad5c2a98726e/Red-bellied+Woodpecker+Tongue.JPG?format=1000w" width="3264" height="2448" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 100vw" onload="this.classList.add("loaded")" srcset="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53b038a9e4b044d9476ee0e3/7a6af77a-6ca5-4a06-b2a8-ad5c2a98726e/Red-bellied+Woodpecker+Tongue.JPG?format=100w 100w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53b038a9e4b044d9476ee0e3/7a6af77a-6ca5-4a06-b2a8-ad5c2a98726e/Red-bellied+Woodpecker+Tongue.JPG?format=300w 300w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53b038a9e4b044d9476ee0e3/7a6af77a-6ca5-4a06-b2a8-ad5c2a98726e/Red-bellied+Woodpecker+Tongue.JPG?format=500w 500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53b038a9e4b044d9476ee0e3/7a6af77a-6ca5-4a06-b2a8-ad5c2a98726e/Red-bellied+Woodpecker+Tongue.JPG?format=750w 750w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53b038a9e4b044d9476ee0e3/7a6af77a-6ca5-4a06-b2a8-ad5c2a98726e/Red-bellied+Woodpecker+Tongue.JPG?format=1000w 1000w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53b038a9e4b044d9476ee0e3/7a6af77a-6ca5-4a06-b2a8-ad5c2a98726e/Red-bellied+Woodpecker+Tongue.JPG?format=1500w 1500w, https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/53b038a9e4b044d9476ee0e3/7a6af77a-6ca5-4a06-b2a8-ad5c2a98726e/Red-bellied+Woodpecker+Tongue.JPG?format=2500w 2500w" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-loader="sqs">
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<p class="">Female red-bellied woodpecker tongue. </p>
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<p class="">Incidentally, as I was doing all this deep diving on the red-bellied woodpecker tonight, I noted that All About Birds says, “Males have longer, wider-tipped tongues than females, possibly allowing a breeding pair to forage in slightly different places on their territory and maximize their use of available food.”<br><br>Yes, every woman is thinking about “foraging potential” when they read about a longer, wider-tipped tongue…</p>
