![]() ![]() Numbers four and five are the downy and hairy woodpeckers. Look for this woodpecker on tree trunks beside the holes it has made. It laps up the sap and any insects captured in the stickiness. The yellow-bellied sapsucker taps out a series of small holes in rows, each hole just deep enough to allow sap to flow. To our feeble eyes it looks much like a hairy woodpecker, but its behaviour sets it apart. It spends a lot of its time on the ground foraging for beetles and other insects.Īnother member of the woodpecker family is the yellow-bellied sapsucker, one which we identified at the cottage only recently. Adults can grow to almost 32 centimetres. One of the easiest woodpeckers to identify is the northern flicker which is also large and brownish overall but richly patterned with black spots, bars and crescents. The two sexes have similar black and white colouring with a red cap, but the male has an additional red stripe on his cheeks. In the spring, we have seen a courting pair once or twice, and late last summer we managed to photograph juvenile siblings who were well advanced in the growth of their adult plumage. Pileated woodpeckers drill distinctive rectangular holes in rotten wood to get at insects. Growing to almost 42 centimetres, it is large and industrious, hollowing the trunks of dead or dieing trees for nests. Of the five types of woodpeckers we see at White Lake, the pileated woodpecker is our favourite. ![]() ![]() We know it is not the pileated woodpecker because it would not knock politely at the door it would wallop the door … thud, thud, thud. We know it is not a person … it is a woodpecker, but is it a downy or a hairy? One of us grabs a camera to try to catch the shot. The tapping is really in the trees that are close to the bedroom. Photos by of on the fabulous full frame bird watching nc bird watching North Carolina birding nc birding north carolina Birdwatching North Carolina birdwatchingnc downy woodpecker downy woodpecker id hairy woodpecker hairy woodpecker downy woodpecker id hairy woodpecker id hairy woodpecker or downy woodpecker hairy woodpecker vs downy woodpeckerīest Life Birding is a proudly sponsored by Canon USA, Tractor Supply Co., Great Big Canvas, US Outdoor & Lensrentals.Some early mornings, as we lie in bed enjoying the sunrise through the bedroom window, we are rattled by a rat-a-tat-tat at the door. Whichever of these sweet little black and white feathered gems may be, it’s always a treat for me to see them racing up and down the tree trunks in search of a meal. That being said, they may be enticed to visit your feeders if you offer up suet during the winter months. the Downy who’s got a comparatively shorter bill size paired with a rounder head.Īlthough the range and habitat preferences of the Hairy Woodpecker generally overlap that of the Downy, the Hairy is a slightly shyer bird which spends more of it’s time in the deep woods vs. The second clue is that the Hairy Woodpeckers bill is as long as it’s slightly elongated head vs. Hairy Woodpeckers are around 9 inches long and weigh 3x as much as the Downy making them noticeably larger in size when comparing the two. Here in the Tarheel State, Downys are also a familiar year round visitor to our bird feeders where they occasionally may be mistaken for their larger cousin, the Hairy Woodpecker.Īt first glance, Hairy Woodpeckers (pictures 3&4) look nearly identical to the Downys, yet are a few differences that can help you figure out what you’re looking at. It lives in a variety of habitats from deep wilderness hardwood forests to suburban backyards and city parks. These feisty little ones are found throughout most of North America with a range that stretches all the way from Alaska down to Florida. Measuring a diminutive 6 inches in size, Downy Woodpeckers (pictures 1&2) are North America’s smallest species of Woodpecker. The Downy at Yates Mill Park & the Hairy at the Pocosin Lakes NWR. I spotted both species recently here in North Carolina. Check out these little guys, a Downy & Hairy Woodpecker! ![]()
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