#Downy vs hairy woodpecker Patch

Hairy Woodpeckers also have a rattling or whinnying call.X Trustworthy Source The Cornell Lab of Ornithology Research lab of Cornell University dedicated to interpreting and conserving the Earth's biological diversity through research and education about birds Go to source It is slightly lower in pitch and does not descend at the end as the Downy's call does. Hairy Woodpeckers, however, make a similar short sharp note, described as more of a peek sound.Their call typically lasts about two seconds. The Downy Woodpecker's pik call is a rapid string of high-pitched notes that descends in pitch toward the end.However, if you listen carefully, you can detect slight differences in the calls. This is most obvious when viewing the back of the bird.

#Downy vs hairy woodpecker Patch

White patch Downy Woodpeckers have a larger white patch on the sides of the neck.X Trustworthy Source National Audubon Society Nonprofit environmental organization focused on conservation, citizen science, and public science education Go to source On Hairy Woodpeckers this red patch is often split. Red patch: In both species the males have a red patch on the head.Shoulder fleck: The Downy has a barely-visible black fleck extending onto the white the Hairy has a quite distinct 'comma-shaped' black mark extending from the shoulder up to the breast.Downy Woodpeckers, however, have spotted black and white tail feathers. Tail feathers: Hairy Woodpeckers typically have all-white outer tail feathers, especially in the Eastern US.Both birds are black and white but there are some key differences in the pattern of their feathers. Females lack the black “mustache” seen on males.īy Guest Contributor MELISSA BLOCK Also-see our video on identifying Downy vs.Look for differences in color pattern. Flickers will visit your suet, sunflower, and sometimes even thistle feeders. They do eat fruits and seeds, especially during the winter. Some may argue that size is the most obvious difference between Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers with the former measuring 6-1/2 in length and the latter 9-1/2. However, when seen at a distance or not side-by-side for comparison this can pose a challenge. Downy beats are about 17 drums per second, and Hairy beats are about 25 drums per second. In addition, hairy woodpeckers make faster drumming sounds when pecking trees. The call of the hairy woodpecker is louder, sharper, and shorter. Flickers eat mostly insects, especially ants and beetles. Size is one way to correctly identify Hairy (pictured here) and Downy Woodpeckers. The Downy woodpecker’s call is a soft, whiny, high-pitched chirp that some describe as friendly. Although some of them migrate further south during the winter, a large number of Northern Flicker overwinter in MN. The Northern Flicker is our second largest woodpecker, at about 11-12”. If you’re lucky, you may also see them at your suet or peanut feeders. The Pileated Woodpecker also enjoys wild fruits and nuts like blackberries, sumac berries, poison ivy, dogwood berries. Their main diet consists of insects, including ants, beetle larvae, termites, flies, grasshoppers, and cockroaches. Pileated males have a red “mustache” and the females do not. The Pileated Woodpecker, at about 15-19”, is our largest woodpecker. The females’ nape is red, but they lack the red crown. They will frequently come to suet, peanut, and sunflower feeders. They also eat plenty of plant material, loving acorns, nuts, pinecones, as well as seeds from annual and perennial plants. The Red-bellied Woodpeckers, at about 9-11”, love insects, including spiders. Hairy Woodpeckers are frequently seen at suet feeders and sunflower seeds, especially during the winter months. About 20% of their diet consists of fruit and seeds.

They also love insects, particularly wood-boring beetles, bark beetles, ants, and moth pupae. Just like the Downy Woodpecker, the males have the red patch on the back of their heads, while the females do not. The Hairy Woodpecker, is the oversized version of the Downy Woodpecker, measuring about 7-10”. About a quarter of their diet consists of plant materials like berries, acorns, and grains. Downies love beetle larvae that live inside wood or tree bark, as well as ants, caterpillars, and beetles. However, although the Hairy is much bigger than the Downy, it is hard to see that if you have only one in view. A Hairy Woodpecker is about 1/3 longer than a Downy and weighs almost 3 times as much So if you see both species side by side, theres no problem. The most dramatic difference is their sizes. These woodpeckers remain with us all winter and are frequent visitors to our suet and sunflower feeders. The two species have the same color scheme. The males have a small red patch on their back of their heads, females do not. The Downy Woodpecker, at about 7”, is the smaller version of the Hairy Woodpecker (I always remember that it’s “downsized”).