This picture of a woodpecker from my trip to Colorado reminded me how difficult it can be to tell the difference between Downy Woodpeckers and Hairy Woodpeckers.I see far more downy woodpeckers here in Massachusetts, but when I'm at Steve's parents house in Connecticut I see more hairy woodpeckers. There's one that lives in his parents' yard and is always pecking away at the tree in the front yard. Colorado was completely new territory so I didn't know what to expect.
I remember this bird being on the larger side when I took the picture, and you can notice its elongated neck and extensive black on its shoulder. I was curious if woodpeckers were any different out in Colorado. While I was doing research on All About Birds I found a link more information about birds of the Rockies:
Based on this I am pretty confident it was a hairy woodpecker, not only because of the size, but because of the extensive black on its shoulder/back. This picture came from Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Project Feederwatch Resources. Is anyone else participating in Project Feederwatch? I know James at Coyote Mercury is. I haven't been able to watch much lately. The way Christmas and New Years fell I was out of town on my feeder-watching days (Tuesday and Wednesday), and then this week I didn't see any birds on one of my watching days.
Anyone else have tips for telling the difference between downy woodpeckers and hairy woodpeckers?
7 comments:
Great post - especially considering the woodpecker nut that I am! You've nailed down the major points for differentiating Downy from Hairy here. I fI am having a hard time determining the size, I always look at the bill - Downy has a pretty small petite bill, (visual area is less than the length of the base of the bill to the back of the head) whereas Hairy has a much bigger bill (visual area equals the length of the base of the bill to the back of the head.
One more thought I had while watching my Downies here at work. Another field mark that is rarely discussed, but somewhat reliable on the males - the red patch of Hairy Woodpeckers is often slightly divided. (Not seen well unless you are looking at a calm bird directly from behind - even at a little angle this is hard to see.)
Thanks for the info on how to tell the difference between a Hairy and Downy. This still confuses me to no end so the chart helps.
BTW: Great blog. I discovered it through Christopher and am happy to meet another Massachusetts birder!
@Christopher- thanks for all those great tips. I forgot what a woodpecker expert you were! The red patch tip is especially interesting.
@Kallen- thanks for the kind words. I just checked out your blog and really like your 'window birder' perspective! This is the first time I've had feeders at my home in at least a couple years and I really enjoy getting to watch my feeders.
Great post and blog, BirdingGirl! (I, too, found you through Christopher's woodpecker roundup.) Good informational blogs are always a plus to us newbies -- I'll definitely be visiting often.
I am new to the bird-watching hobby and I want to thank you for all the great information. I am learning a lot from your posts.
We have more downy than hairy in NYC. Brooklyn's Prospect Park also presents yellow-bellied, red-breasted, northern flicker, and, rarely, red-headed. Like Christopher above, I look to the bill/head relaltionship. It's taken me a couple of winters, but practice, too, makes for perfecting.
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