Downy vs hairy woodpecker12/1/2023 Incubation by both parents begins around when the last egg is laid. The female usually chooses a nest cavity with the male approving, which is usually in some part of a dead tree.Ī clutch size (number of eggs) for a Downie’s brood is usually 3-8 eggs. They may loop around the territory multiple times during this display. The butterfly flight includes the pair chasing each other through the trees with their wing held high and flapping slower,weaker wing beats. Bonding activities include drumming on separate trees until the male approaches, foraging together, and the butterfly flight. They have a few different courtship/bonding activities. Their chiseled bills helps them get right under the surface of the tree bark so they can pierce insect tunnels.ĭownies are monogamous and renew their pair bonds starting in the fall and continuing into the winter. Due to their small size, Downies not only forage on the trunk but on smaller limbs as well as weed stalks and shrubs. Sap consumption is more common in the winter and bark foragingoccurs more in the summer. Downies are common at backyard feeders where they may eat suet. Mainly insects, as well as seeds and berries. Open deciduous woodlands, orchards, shade trees, willow groves, backyards, and city parks Female Downy Woodpecker (Image by David Horowitz) They are more common in the East than the West. They are rarely seen in the Southwest United States. Male Downy Woodpecker (Image via )ĭownies are found throughout the majority of the United States and Canada, with the exception of extremely northern Canada. A Downie’s bill is about half the width of their heads. Their heads are boldly striped, and males have a red patch that the female lacks. Their underparts are white and their tails are mainly white with some black spots. Their upperparts are black with white checkered patterns on their wings and a white stripe down their backs. The little Downy is acrobatic, versatile, and found throughout most of the country.ĭowny Woodpeckers are black and white with straight chiseled bills and wide shoulders. The yellow-bellied, Williamson’s, and red-naped sapsuckers are also superficially similar to the downy woodpecker female, but these birds are all darker in appearance, especially when the underparts are visible.Today’s Woodpecker of the week is the smallest Woodpecker in North America: the Downy.This species looks very similar but lacks the large white back patch and has more white on the side of the face. Red-cockaded woodpeckers ( Dryobates borealis) overlap with the downy woodpecker in southeastern states from Eastern Texas through Florida and north to Virginia.This species has clearly defined black and white stripes across the back. The Ladder-backed woodpecker ( Dryobates scalaris) overlaps with the downy woodpecker in states like Colorado and northern Texas.Its head is also more boldly marked with less white plumage. This species has black and white barring across the back without the large white patch. Nuttall’s woodpecker ( Dryobates nuttallii) overlaps with the downy woodpecker in California.The outer tail feathers of the downy woodpecker are also spotted in black, while they are pure white in the hairy woodpecker.Ĭheck out this article for a more in-depth look at the difference between hairy and downy woodpeckers Hairy woodpeckers are much larger than downy woodpeckers and have a proportionately much larger bill. This is probably the bird that is most likely to be confused with the female downy woodpecker. The hairy woodpecker ( Dryobates villosus) overlaps with the downy woodpecker across much of the United States and Canada.Read on to learn how to tell female downy woodpeckers from some similar species. The female downy woodpecker is quite easily confused with other woodpeckers from the Dryobates genus, especially where their distributions overlap. Read on to learn more interesting facts and useful methods for identifying female downy woodpeckers out in the field.ĭistinguishing female downy woodpeckers from similar species Female downy woodpeckers are also more likely to be seen foraging for insects on the trunks of trees and other major branches.Īpart from the absence of the red nape bar, there are important behavioral clues that can help birdwatchers distinguish female downy woodpeckers from males. The easiest way to tell female downy woodpeckers from males is to look out for a red spot on the back of the head. If you have a backyard bird feeder, you might well be visited by these birds, especially if you put out suet. These busy birds are common in a variety of woody habitats and are no strangers to backyards.ĭowny woodpeckers do not migrate, so you can see them throughout the year in suitable habitats. The downy woodpecker ( Dryobates pubescens) is the smallest of the North American woodpeckers and can be seen across most of the United States and Canada. Can female downy woodpeckers raise young alone?
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