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Home > Bird of the Month

Birds of the Month:  Woodpeckers

Clockwise below left:  the Downy, Hairy, Red Bellied, Red Headed, Pileated and Northern Flicker

The Downy Woodpecker The smallest and most common American woodpecker, the Downy is found throughout most of NA from Alaska to Florida.  It lives in a variety of habitats from wilderness forests to urban backyards, and comes readily to bird feeders. Interesting Facts The Downy uses sources of food that larger woodpeckers cannot, such as the insect fauna on weed stems. As the smallest North American woodpecker, the Downy can drill cavities in dead trees or limbs that measure as little as 10 cm around. This means that it can live in a wider range of habitat than can larger woodpeckers. Males tend to feed in the tops of trees on branches that are small in diameter, females feed midlevel and lower on larger diameter branches.	The Hairy Woodpecker The smallest and most common American woodpecker, the Downy is found throughout most of NA from Alaska to Florida.  It lives in a variety of habitats from wilderness forests to urban backyards, and comes readily to bird feeders. Interesting Facts The Hairy Woodpecker has more than 17 recognized subspecies. They are the most prolific woodpeckers in North America. The males incubate the eggs during the night while the females incubate them during the day. The Hairy is attracted to the heavy blows of the Pileated Woodpecker makes when it is excavating a tree.  The Hairy forages in close association with the larger woodpecker, pecking in the deep excavation and taking insects that the Pileated missed.	Downy vs. Hairy Similar in coloring, their differences are in size. The Hairy is 50% larger:  9" vs 6" The beak of the hairy is equal to the size of its head.  The downy about 1/2. The Hairy's tail is equal to its body length, the Downy's 1/2 the size. Interesting Facts The Downy is the most common The Hairy has the most extensive range The Downy uses smaller branches while the Hairy tends to spend more time on the trunk.  It might be thought that the larger woodpecker excludes the smaller from more productive foraging spots, but it apperars that just the reverse is true.  In the Bahamas, where the Downy does not occur, the Hairy use branches more frequently. The Downy excavates its nest cavity in DEAD WOOD, the Hairy in LIVE WOOD
Red Bellied General Red-bellied Woodpecker: Medium-sized woodpecker with black-and-white barred upperparts and pale gray-brown underparts with indistinct red wash on belly. Head has bright red crown and nape, and pale brown face. White rump, white wing patches, and white-barred central tail feathers are visible in flight. Female is similar but has gray cap. Juvenile has gray-brown head. Range and Habitat Red-bellied Woodpecker: Breeds from South Dakota, Great Lakes, and southern New England south to the Gulf Coast and Florida. Northernmost birds sometimes migrate south for winter. Inhabits open and swampy woodlands; comes into parks during migration and to feeders in winter. Interesting Facts Red-bellied Woodpeckers are attracted to noises that resonate. The male will tap loudly on metal gutters, aluminum roofs and even vehicles to attract a mate. The male has a wider tongue tip and longer bill than the female, allowing him to reach deeper into crevices to find prey. Studies have shown the male forages on the tree trunk, while the female forages mostly on limbs. The European Starling will often evict the Red-bellied Woodpecker from its nest.	Red Headed General Red-headed Woodpecker: Medium-sized woodpecker with black upperparts and tail, and white underparts and rump. Head, throat, and upper breast are dark red. Wings are black with large white patches. Sexes are similar. Juvenile has brown-black head, throat, and upper breast, and faintly streaked underparts. Range and Habitat Red-headed Woodpecker: Breeds from Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Quebec south to Florida and the Gulf Coast; scarce in northeastern states. Spends winters in southern part of breeding range. Interesting Facts The Red-headed Woodpecker forages for food rather than excavate holes to find insects. It is the only woodpecker that covers its cache of food with bark or wood. Grasshoppers are stored alive, wedged so tightly in a crevice escape is impossible. This bird was featured on a United States Postal Service 2-cent stamp in 1996.	Northern Flicker General Northern Flicker: Medium-sized woodpecker with black-barred brown back, white rump, and black tail. Underparts are black-spotted pale brown with black crescent on breast. Two distinct races exist: Western form (red-shafted) has brown crown, gray face and red moustache stripe, with red-orange underwing and undertail visible in flight; eastern form (yellow-shafted) has gray crown, brown face and throat, red nape patch, and black moustache stripe, with yellow underwing and undertail visible in flight. Females of both races resemble males but lack moustache stripes. Range and Habitat Northern Flicker: Resident from Alaska east through Manitoba to Newfoundland and south throughout the U.S. Northernmost birds are migratory. Prefers forest edges and open woodlands approaching savannas. Interesting Facts Northern Flickers use a drumming technique to attract a mate. Unfortunately for many people, they often practice on the metal flues of fireplaces. Hybrids between the red-shafted and yellow-shafted subspecies are common where populations overlap. The yellow-shafted subspecies is the state bird of Alabama. A group of flickers are collectively known as a "guttering", "menorah", and "Peterson" of flickers.
Sources for this section include the WBU RightBird website, the Cornell Ornithology Website, The Sibley Guide to Birds and the Stokes Field Guide to Birds.  Bucks County, PA's source for Bird Knowledge, Bird Food, Bird Feeders, Binoculars and more!

 

 

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