Hairy Woodpecker
Dryobates villosus
eBird describes the Hairy Woodpecker like this: Medium-sized woodpecker, common and widespread across North America as far south as western Panama. Black-and-white plumage is nearly identical to the smaller Downy Woodpecker. Focus on the bill: Hairy has a longer bill, about the length of the head. Also look for clean white outer tail feathers. Some variation in color across range; birds in western North America and especially Central America are brownish, with limited white in the wing. Occurs in wooded habitats with large trees. Familiar visitor to backyard feeders, especially fond of suet. Calls include a loud “peek!” and a fast rattle, stronger than Downy Woodpecker.
The website All About Birds offers this descriptive information about the Hairy Woodpecker: 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. It wields a much longer bill than the Downy Woodpecker’s almost thornlike bill. Hairy Woodpeckers have a somewhat soldierly look, with their erect, straight-backed posture on tree trunks and their cleanly striped heads. Look for them at backyard suet or sunflower feeders, and listen for them whinnying from woodlots, parks, and forests.
I watched and positively identified a Hairy Woodpecker at my backyard feeder on the afternoon of July 15, 2023. I was able to distinguish it from the Downy Woodpecker by the size of the bill (larger). I had seen this bird several times feeding on suet, but finally was able to get a picture good enough for identificaiton.
Cool Facts About The Hairy Woodpecker From All About Birds:
- Across North America the Hairy Woodpecker can be found from sea level to high in the mountains. In Central America, it is restricted to higher mountain forests.
- Hairy and Downy woodpeckers occur together throughout most of their ranges. The Downy Woodpecker uses smaller branches while the Hairy Woodpecker tends to spend more time on trunks.
- Hairy Woodpeckers sometimes follow Pileated Woodpeckers, and sometimes appears when it hears the heavy sounds of a pileated excavating. As the pileated moves on, the Hairy Woodpecker investigates the deep holes, taking insects the pileated missed.
- Hairy Woodpeckers sometimes drink sap leaking from wells in the bark made by sapsuckers. They’ve also been seen pecking into sugar cane to drink the sugary juice.
- The oldest recorded Hairy Woodpecker was a male, and at least 15 years, 11 months old when he was recaptured and rereleased during banding operations in New York in 2010.