This morning, while out walking my dogs, I saw this Hairy Woodpecker, Leuconotopicus villosus. These birds look very similar to Downy Woodpeckers, Dryobates pubescens. It can be difficult to ID them.
How can you tell them apart? The first thing I noticed was the size. Hairy Woodpeckers are robin-sized and Downy Woodpeckers are closer to a sparrow in size. What else can you look for? The outer white tail feathers are all white in Hairys and have black spots on the Downys. I couldn’t see that detail in my photos, but I could clearly see another characteristic. The bill length.
The Audubon website describes the differences in their bills like this…
The Downy’s bill is dainty and about one-third the length of the bird’s head. The Hairy’s bill is a railroad spike in comparison, and almost as long as its head.
I’m also including a short video of the Hairy Woodpecker on a ponderosa pine at Pine Nursery Park in Bend, Oregon. The fencing you see behind the bird encloses several of this park’s 24 pickleball courts.
I took more photos of the woodpecker, but they turned out blurry. Walking one dog that moves like a tortoise while walking another that moves like a hare can make taking clear pictures a challenge. 😉
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We finally have Hairy Woodpeckers coming onto our suet feeder. Downys have been a regular for several years. Love your description of the Hairy’s beak!!!
That’s great you get to see both, Lindy! Yeah, I liked that description of their bills too. 🙂
Oh that would be so cool to see!
Yes, it was! It was not bothered by my presence either.
Great observation, Siobhan. Thanks for the differentiating info on that woodpecker.
Thanks, Egidio. They are hard to differentiate.