The Hairy prefers towering trees and deeper woods, while the Downy will settle for baby birches and cattails. Lastly, it’s important to note that the Downy Woodpecker is much more abundant than its Hairy counterpart, especially in suburbia. For anyone who struggles to tell the difference between a hairy and a downy woodpecker, here's a tip: the hairy leaves bigger holes in your. Also, the male Hairy’s red patch is often split in two, while the Downy’s is not. Photo: MargoBurnison/Audubon Photography Awards About This Bird Climate Vulnerability Learn More Downy Woodpecker Dryobates pubescens The smallest woodpecker in North America, common and widespread, although it avoids the arid southwest. More subtle clues include the Hairy’s all-white outer tail feathers, compared to the Downy’s spotted ones. Guide to North American Birds Find a Bird Adult male. It is also the most common woodpecker in eastern North America. Landscapes,Kingdom: Animalia,Phylum: Chordata,Class: Aves Order: Piciformes,Family: Picidae,Genus and Species: Dryobates pubescens,Birds,Woodpeckers. A white back and white underparts and black wings that have white spots. A frequent visitor to backyard feeding stations where it is more tolerant of humans than the Hairy Woodpecker. About 6-7 inches long and about 2 inches shorter than the look-alike Hairy woodpecker. Over time the size will become more familiar to you, and you won’t need to lean on the surrounding visuals. The smallest and perhaps most familiar species in Canada is the Downy Woodpecker Picoides pubescens. The Downy Woodpecker is the smallest of our woodpeckers. But at a distance of 40 feet or more, the difference in length becomes less obvious.Īs your woodpecker moves around, you’ll be able to judge its size in relation to other objects (leaves, branches, etc.). Up close, the two are easy to tell apart, even though they’re the same basic shape and color. Imagine if someone were holding up a silver teaspoon and a silver tablespoon. You could glue rulers to every tree and feeder in sight, or you could remember that a Downy is about the size of a House Sparrow, while the Hairy is about the size of a robin.ĭon’t worry, it gets easier with practice. It is common throughout much of the United States and Canada, and can often be seen around dead. Spying this three-inch difference across a meadow or a yard can be hard at first. This is the smallest woodpecker found in North America. Usually larger about 9.25 inches long, around the size of a robin. The Downy is a little over six inches tall, while the Hairy is almost 50 percent taller. Downy Woodpecker Hairy Woodpecker Size: Usually smaller about 6.5 inches long. If the bill is not in view-the bird is usually facing a tree, after all-move on to what is perhaps the best clue: overall size. The Hairy’s bill is a railroad spike in comparison, and almost as long as the its head. Version: 1. The Downy’s bill is dainty and about one-third the length of the bird’s head. For a comprehensive review of the conservation status, habitat use, and ecology of this and other Montana bird species, please see Marks. Relatively small size with smaller, stubbier bill. White under-belly with black and white checked wings. Though they’re very similar, there are some key differences to look out for.įirst, check for the major difference in bill size. EW EX Least Concern Extinct Current Population Trend: Stable Our smallest woodpecker, the downy is also among our most widespread and familiar species it is a confiding bird that often visits. Only difference is males have a bright red spot on the back of their head. It’s easy to find these woodpeckers out in the woods (just like you find shorebirds on the shore), but an early identification challenge for new birders is distinguishing between these two common species. In downies, this mark is relatively short and far less prominent.What’s black and white and red all over? Both Hairy and the Downy Woodpeckers, unfortunately. Hairy woodpeckers have a slim black mark on their shoulders that arcs downward toward the chest.The outer edges of their tail feathers are white, whereas downy woodpeckers have black spots on their outer tail feathers.Hairy woodpeckers are quite a bit larger - around nine inches long from head to tail - and have longer bills than downies.X Trustworthy Source The Cornell Lab of Ornithology Research lab of Cornell University dedicated to interpreting and conserving the Earth's biological diversity through research and education about birds Go to source There are several distinct differences that separate the two species: Downy woodpeckers were common and similarly distributed among the 3 forest age classes, and hairy wood- peckers were uncommon and only observed in the 40. Downies are easy to confuse with their close relative, the hairy woodpecker. Don’t confuse downies with other woodpeckers.
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