(TNS) — Recently observed quick flashes of white — different than the blurs from the six other species of woodpeckers in the state — are a welcome sight in Allegheny County as three pairs of red-headed woodpeckers are nesting in the county for the first time in at least 35 years.

The gorgeous woodpecker with a blood red head and checkerboard body with huge white wing patches against a black back is an uncommon sight statewide and a rare breeder in Allegheny County.

The bird is generating high interest from the public, said Mike Fialkovich of Penn Hills, president of the Three Rivers Birding Club.

“They are flashy with that big white patch on their wings and because they are so active flying around a lot, they are easily seen.”

The birds have had a tough time for decades, losing habitat. They are still reliably found in Erie County and other parts of the state, not so much in Allegheny County.

That changed this year as three pairs attempted breeding and two pairs produced young, including two birds that have been frequenting the fields by the North Park swimming pool since winter. The other two pairs are in the city’s Highland Park and on private property.

The bird’s distribution contracted by 46% according to five-year surveys for the Pennsylvania Bird Atlas in 1992 and 2012, said Amber Wiewel, coordinator for the state’s third bird atlas at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary in Berks and Schuylkill counties.

The atlas is the most comprehensive study on the distribution, abundance and change in breeding birds in the state. The five-year survey for the third atlas is now underway.

“Although still relatively uncommon in Pennsylvania, the species has shown positive trends in abundance in parts of the state since at least 2012,” Wiewel said via email.

The upswing is spurred by tree die-offs and declines in European starling populations that compete for nesting spots, she said.

The red-headed woodpecker nests in tree cavities and snags often found in dead and dying trees, as the emerald ash borer continues to kill and threaten hundreds of thousands of ash trees in Pennsylvania.

“Additionally, red-headed woodpecker populations have been shown to increase during spongy moth outbreaks, which may be occurring with increasing frequency and severity in Pennsylvania,” Wiewel said.

It’s more than stunning plumage that separates the red-headed from other woodpeckers in the region.

This bird is more dependent on acorns and beech nuts, which vary annually and play a role in the birds’ nomadic nature, said Jim Kellam, associate professor of biology and environmental science at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe.

“It can be nesting in North Park one year and there’s no guarantee it will be here next year,” he said.

Unlike other woodpeckers, its diet is two-thirds nuts and fruit and one-third insects.

“It fly-catches a lot and will sit and dive after them. Downy and red-bellied woodpeckers will do it but the red-headed will do it a lot more,” Kellam said.

Because of its diet, this uncommon bird needs a more specialized habitat. It likes to nest close to water, where there are lots of insects in open areas, and in a spot with plentiful oak trees, he said.

In Pennsylvania, the bird nests in “hot spots” with multiple pairs in a small area with ideal habitat, Kellam noted.

“Allegheny County has far fewer places that are ideal habitat for them so we have scattered pairs isolated from each other,” he said.

But if they breed successfully, the same pair might nest in the same spot again.

There are small numbers of nesting pairs in neighboring counties.

“We’ve been surrounded by confirmed nestings. I am not overly surprised to see them in the county, but it is great to finally see these guys be successful here,” said Brian Shema, operations director for the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania.

In Pennsylvania, the bird nests mostly in south-central counties and in the northwestern part of the state, he said.

“We know based on breeding bird surveys that there have been historical fluctuations in the distribution of this species, which are tied to food resources and competition with European starlings,” Shema said.

Although red-headed woodpeckers have specific nesting conditions, Allegheny County parks can be prime locations for these birds, somewhat inadvertently.

“They like deciduous woodlands that are scattered among open areas that contain oak trees,” Shema said.

County park habitats are managed, oftentimes with fields and surrounding woodlands with oaks.

“The county parks also are not inundated with herbicides,” he added.

“With the diet of this species, the acorns are important but you also need the insect component for these guys to be successful,” he said.

Shema and Fialkovich will be keeping a close eye on those woodpeckers and other nesting birds as part of their work as volunteer field coordinators for the Pennsylvania Bird Atlas in Allegheny County.