Downy woodpecker • Picoides pubescens
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Male downy woodpecker photographed by Josh Silberg. Visible in these photos are the short bill and black spots on white outer feathers - characteristics which help differentiate the downy woodpecker from the similar hairy woodpecker.
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Identification
The downy woodpecker is a small black and white woodpecker with a short chisel-like bill that looks a bit too small for its head size. Its black back is marked by a wide white stripe, while its black wings are checked with white bars. Its undersides are all white, and its tail is black but bordered with white feathers barred or spotted with black. Its head bears bold black and white stripes, and males have a bright red patch at the back of the head. The white underparts and back stripe is more pale greyish-brown on birds found on the Central Coast and other areas of the Pacific Northwest. At 14 to 17 cm long this species is the smallest woodpecker in North America. Click here to listen to the downy woodpecker's high-pitched call.
Habitat & Range
The downy woodpecker is commonly seen at backyard feeders, in parks and orchards, and in open forests and weedy or shrubby forest edges. In winter it may be spotted in mixed flocks with other bird species like chickadees and nuthatches. It is found year-round throughout much of North America, excluding some areas of northern Canada, northern Alaska, and the southernmost United States as well as Mexico.
Find more information at the British Columbia Breeding Bird Atlas here.
Similar Species
The hairy woodpecker (Picoides villosus) is a very similar-looking but larger bird with an almost identical range. Size along with a longer bill and pure white (not barred or spotted) outer tail feathers are its main differentiating characteristics. Click here for a more detailed comparison. Other woodpeckers with similar colouring, which are mostly not found on the Central Coast, lack the bold white back stripe of the downy and hairy woodpeckers.
Intriguing Info
This is an acrobatic species, and may be seen hanging upside down on tree trunks or branches as it forages
for insects, seeds, and berries. As with other woodpeckers, it makes very little noise when digging into wood when feeding or nest-building; the drumming sound characteristic of woodpeckers instead plays a role in communication.
The downy woodpecker is a small black and white woodpecker with a short chisel-like bill that looks a bit too small for its head size. Its black back is marked by a wide white stripe, while its black wings are checked with white bars. Its undersides are all white, and its tail is black but bordered with white feathers barred or spotted with black. Its head bears bold black and white stripes, and males have a bright red patch at the back of the head. The white underparts and back stripe is more pale greyish-brown on birds found on the Central Coast and other areas of the Pacific Northwest. At 14 to 17 cm long this species is the smallest woodpecker in North America. Click here to listen to the downy woodpecker's high-pitched call.
Habitat & Range
The downy woodpecker is commonly seen at backyard feeders, in parks and orchards, and in open forests and weedy or shrubby forest edges. In winter it may be spotted in mixed flocks with other bird species like chickadees and nuthatches. It is found year-round throughout much of North America, excluding some areas of northern Canada, northern Alaska, and the southernmost United States as well as Mexico.
Find more information at the British Columbia Breeding Bird Atlas here.
Similar Species
The hairy woodpecker (Picoides villosus) is a very similar-looking but larger bird with an almost identical range. Size along with a longer bill and pure white (not barred or spotted) outer tail feathers are its main differentiating characteristics. Click here for a more detailed comparison. Other woodpeckers with similar colouring, which are mostly not found on the Central Coast, lack the bold white back stripe of the downy and hairy woodpeckers.
Intriguing Info
This is an acrobatic species, and may be seen hanging upside down on tree trunks or branches as it forages
for insects, seeds, and berries. As with other woodpeckers, it makes very little noise when digging into wood when feeding or nest-building; the drumming sound characteristic of woodpeckers instead plays a role in communication.
References
Dunn, J. L. and Alderfer, J. (Eds.). (2011). National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America. (6th ed.). Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Society. Pp. 320-321.
Downy Woodpecker. The Birds of North America Online (A. Poole, Ed.). Ithaca: Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Retrieved from the Birds of North America Online. Accessed 03/03/2014.
Downy Woodpecker Picoides pubescens. Audubon birds. National Audubon Society. Accessed 03/03/2014.
Authors and editors of page
Kelly Fretwell and Brian Starzomski (2015).
Dunn, J. L. and Alderfer, J. (Eds.). (2011). National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America. (6th ed.). Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Society. Pp. 320-321.
Downy Woodpecker. The Birds of North America Online (A. Poole, Ed.). Ithaca: Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Retrieved from the Birds of North America Online. Accessed 03/03/2014.
Downy Woodpecker Picoides pubescens. Audubon birds. National Audubon Society. Accessed 03/03/2014.
Authors and editors of page
Kelly Fretwell and Brian Starzomski (2015).
