Downy Woodpecker

 

   
Main Menu
Backyard Birdscape Feathered Friends
Yard Critters
Photo Gallery Back Yard Habitat
The Basic Bird
Backyard Banter
Services
Sitemap
Contact
Company Bio

 
   

 

   
 
   


 
   

Downy Woodpecker - (Picoides pubescens)

See Many Additional Woodpecker Photos in the Gallery

 

January 4, 2009 - Here is a picture story of two hungry and surprised woodpeckers.  In this area woodpeckers of all types love suet, a  food that is high in fat and full of energy to keep a bird warm.
Downy and Red Bellied Woodpeckers   Downy and Red Bellied Woodpeckers  Downy and Red Bellied Woodpeckers  Downy and Red Bellied Woodpeckers
My grandkids live in the next village over on a nice, peaceful, tree-lined street.  A downy woodpecker spent a previous springDowny Woodpecker shattering the peace and quiet of the whole neighborhood.  He moved from the stop sign to the "stop sign ahead" sign persistently drumming on the metal. Several times a day for several weeks the racket continued  (invariably corresponding with the girls' nap time).

The few people on the street at home during the day would pass by and shake their heads.  It was our collective opinion that he was a woodpecker who was misguided and possibly not clever enough to find a real tree trunk.

It wasn't until I began my new-found interest in studying birds that I discovered how misguided and yes, not clever,  I was  about woodpeckers.

The downy was just trying to call a female or defend his territory.  Woodpeckers will actually seek out a metal or hard wood  surface that could create the loudest noise.

The downy eventually made his point, and peace returned to the neighborhood if not the grandgirls' house (naptime had become just a fond memory of mine). The downy's hammering in my own backyard occurs only on trees and wooden feeders.

 

Downy Woodpecker Downy Woodpecker Downy Woodpecker Downy Woodpecker

Size:                        Length: 6.75 in      Weight: 1 oz          Wingspan: 12 in

ID:       

Male: White back and underparts; black wings with broken white bars; black cheeks and crown; bright red patch on back of head; feathered nostrils (help filter out sawdust); mostly black tail with three white outermost feathers with black spots; short (half the length of its head), stubby, dark gray beak; gray feet zygodactylous (feet with two toes forward and two facing back)
Female: Same as male but no red patch on head
Juvenile: Same as female but young males have red crowns                                    
Habitat: Woodlands and suburban gardens  
Diet: Insects, seeds, nuts and berries; visits feeders for suet and peanut products; can feed on smaller and higher branches than larger woodpeckers
Family Behavior: Mating Habits:  Monogamous; solitary nester; pair stays together throughout winter; 1 brood per year
Local Breeding Period: Late May
Nests:  Excavated cavity in dead tree trunk; built by both male and female; leaves wood chips in bottom of hole
Eggs: 3-5 plain white eggs; incubation 11-12 days by female during the day and male at night
Nestlings: Born altricial (helpless, naked, eyes closed) and stay in nest 20-25 days; fed by both parents
Social Activities: Roost in cavities at night; both male and female drum on trunks, poles, buildings to announce territorial rights
Range:  Southern half of Alaska and Canada; most of US
Vocalization:            Loud, downslurred whinny; call a sharp peek, ki-ki-ki, or squeaky, descending rattle
Sighted in our Backyard: Year round
Lifespan: Up to 11 years

 
   

 
   

More Info