Downy Woodpecker Vs. Hairy Woodpecker

Frequent visitors to our suet feeder are the Downy Woodpecker and the Hairy Woodpecker. Both of these black and white birds look very much alike except for a few crucial differences. Hopefully this post will help you tell the difference.

The Downy Woodpecker is the smaller of the two, about 6-1/2 inches long and has a short bill in relationship to the size of his head.

This male Downy (the males have a red spot on the back of their head) is enjoying a bite of suet. Look at the underside of his tail feathers. See the two black bars on the white? That is also a characteristic of the Downy. The Hairy woodpecker has no black bars on the white underside of his tail feathers.

Here is a female Hairy Woodpecker on the same suet feeder as above, and measures 8-10 inches long. Note how much larger she is in proportion to the suet feeder than the Downy. Her bill is much longer too. And the white underside tail feathers have no black bars.

You'll find Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers walking up the sides of trees looking for insects which is their primary food source. They will, in addition to suet, feed on seeds. This male Downy is fluffed to stay warm while clinging to ythe sunny side on an oak tree in our yard.

The feisty little male Downy has a face-off with a Northern Cardinal at the seed feeder. You can really see his tail bars in this photo.

This female Hairy has no problem eating upside down. The Downy will go inside the cage suet feeder and feed.

So, if you see more than one black and white Woodpecker, take a closer look to see if a Downy or Hairy Woodpecker is visiting you!

(all photographs taken in Raymondale)

Why a Raymondale bird blog? Dan and Beth Fedorko have been inventorying birds for Cornell University's Backyard Bird Count (www.feederwatch.org) which runs November through April each year. This inventory keeps track of migratory patterns, possible diseases, and decline and increase in bird populations. In response to the Raymondale Environmental Stewardship Task Force, we have started this blog which is separate from the general Raymondale news blog and more personal, to share our finds and photographs. If you see any birds in the neighborhood and surrounding parkland, please send us a photo! We'll help you identify it and might even post it on the blog!