The heavy blows that the Pileated uses to excavate the feeding hole attract the Hairy Woodpecker. Photo: Howard Arndt/Audubon Photography Awards, Great Egret. Male and female may maintain separate territories in early winter, pairing up in mid-winter, often with mate from previous year. ... lived in this woodpeckers range, and had only seen one once in recent years. White. [18][19] They are also known to peck at wooden window frames and wood-sided homes that may house prey. Additionally, the notes of the Lamar bird were relatively long in duration, about 60 milliseconds, about 10–20 milliseconds longer than typical for a Downy Woodpecker, and within the range of the Hairy Woodpecker (see Figure 3). Their range in North America is very similar spanning most of the country up to Alaska with the exception that the Hairy Woodpecker’s range extends along a narrow strip into Central America. Birds in the extreme north may migrate further south; birds in mountainous areas may move to lower elevations. Although still very widespread and fairly common, thought to have declined from historical levels in many areas. This species and the Downy Woodpecker are remarkably similar in pattern, differing mainly in size and bill shape. Mostly insects. Even among woodpeckers, it is particularly well adapted for climbing and pecking. For identification purposes, note that downy woodpeckers are smaller — roughly two-thirds the size of hairy woodpeckers. Measuring about 8 1/2 to 10 inches in length. The downy has a shorter bill relative to the size of its head, which is, other than size and voice, the best way to distinguish them in the field. Wingspan: 15 inches. The Hairy Woodpecker is very similar to the Downy in appearance.A white back and white underparts and black wings with white spots. It’s the least you can do. The larger of two look alikes, the Hairy Woodpecker is a small but powerful bird that forages along trunks and main branches of large trees. Widespread and familiar woodland resident and backyard visitor. Males will have a small red-patch on the back of their head. Length: 9-1/4 inches. Feeds especially on larvae of wood-boring beetles, also other beetles, ants, caterpillars, and others. Can This Critically Endangered Bird Survive Australia's New Climate Reality? Nest is excavated from 4 to 60 feet above the ground (Ehrlich et al. The drumming pattern is loud with a rapid burst of rhythmic taps and a terminal slowdown (Kaufman 1993). Hairy’s, as with most woodpeckers, are primarily insect eaters and are known to consume many pest insects such as destructive tree boring beetles. Red-headed Woodpeckers … Its preferred habitats include deciduous forests. As to the reason for this convergence, only tentative hypotheses have been advanced; in any case, because of the considerable size difference, ecological competition between the two species is slight. The hairy woodpecker inhabits mature deciduous forests[2][17] in the Bahamas, Canada, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Puerto Rico, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Turks and Caicos Islands, and the United States. The Hairy Woodpecker is also a year-round resident to Kentucky and the majority of the United States. Male may forage farther from nest, making fewer feeding trips with more food each time. Colors: White backs with black wings peppered with white spots. The birds bill is almost as long as the head whereas, the Downy's bill is only about half as long as its head. Photo: Dick Dickinson/Audubon Photography Awards. The Hairy Woodpecker has a large range, estimated globally at 13,000,000 square kilometers. Courtship includes both birds drumming in duet; ritualized tapping at symbolic nest sites by female. In the northwestern to the western United States, Hairy Woodpeckers are found in douglas fir/western hemlock forests, … And like the Downy, males have the same red on the back nape.While the females have no red. These birds forage on trees, often turning over bark or excavating to uncover insects. Membership benefits include one year of Audubon magazine and the latest on birds and their habitats. The National Audubon Society protects birds and the places they need, today and tomorrow, throughout the Americas using science, advocacy, education, and on-the-ground conservation. Some birds from northern edge of range may move well south in winter, and a few from western mountains move to lower elevations. Loss of nesting sites (with cutting of dead snags in forest) is one potential problem. Downy Woodpeckers have shorter bills in relation to their body size where a Hairy Woodpecker… Both parents feed the nestlings. They are a natural predator of the European corn borer, a moth that costs the US agriculture industry more than $1 billion annually in crop losses and population control. Energetic in its search, often probing, scaling off bark, and excavating into dead wood in pursuit of insects. In Central America, at the southern end of it’s range, it is restricted to higher mountain forests. The global population of this bird is estimated at 9,400,000 individuals and does not show signs of decline that would necessitate inclusion on the IUCN Red List. Let us send you the latest in bird and conservation news. Are the Trump Administration's Environmental Rollbacks Built to Last? Learn more about these drawings. In its feeding it does more pounding and excavating in trees than most smaller woodpeckers, consuming large numbers of wood-boring insects. Less common in residential areas than the Downy Woodpecker (Kaufman 1996). But if boreal forests do penetrate north and if Hairy Woodpeckers follow—two big ifs—a range expansion may be in the offing. Legal Notices Privacy Policy Contact Us. The hairy woodpecker was described and illustrated with a hand-coloured plate by the English naturalist Mark Catesby in his The Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands which was published between 1729 and 1732. Hairy and Downy Woodpeckers are often found together, but the Hairy requires larger trees and is usually less common, especially in the eastern portion of its range, and less frequent in suburban settings and parks. These birds are mostly permanent residents. The global population of this bird is estimated at 9,400,000 individuals and does not show signs of decline that would necessitate inclusion on the IUCN Red List. Text © Kenn Kaufman, adapted from • Hairy woodpecker - Picoides villosus - USGS Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter Visit your local Audubon center, join a chapter, or help save birds with your state program. Hairy Woodpeckers have a somewhat soldierly look, with their erect, straight-backed posture on tree trunks and their cleanly striped heads. Bald Eagle. Males may forage more deliberately than females, working longer in one spot. Hairy Woodpecker: This species is a resident throughout much of North America from subarctic Alaska across Canada and south throughout most of the United States to the Gulf of Mexico and further south into Mexico. Will feed from feeding holes excavated by the Pileated Woodpecker. Hairy Woodpeckers (Picoides villosus) occur from Alaska and most of Canada south to the Gulf Coast.In the southwestern United States and from Mexico to Panama they are found in mountain forests (mainly pines, but also in cloud forest in Middle America). 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