Picoides pubescens

Description

The downy woodpecker is America's smallest woodpecker. It has a black and white striped face and wings, a white front, a black back with a large white patch in the center, and a mostly black tail with black and white striped outer feathers. These woodpeckers have a small dark bill with a white tuft of feathers at its base. The male has a red patch on the back of his head.

Voice

The downy woodpecker has two calls. One is a gentle "pik" and the other call sounds like a whinny. Woodpeckers also make noise when they drum against trees. Downy woodpeckers have a slow drum, but they repeat it more than ten times per minute.

Breeding

May to August

Habitat

These birds will live in any wooded area. They usually look for food on small branches and even on weeds and twigs.

Diet

Downy woodpeckers look inside trees and under loose bark for ants and beetles.

Range

You can find these birds year-round in most of Canada and the United States.

Other Useful Information

Woodpeckers have very special tails with strong feathers that help to brace the bird against the tree. They also have special feet designed for climbing with two toes facing forward and two toes facing backward.

Similar Species

The hairy woodpecker is almost identical to the downy woodpecker, except it is less common and it is larger with a larger bill. Also, the white outer feathers on a hairy woodpecker's tail are not striped and the hairy has a different voice and different drumming patterns than the downy woodpecker.