![]() Like other woodpeckers, it also produces a drumming sound(sounds like four taps )with its beak as it pecks into trees. The rattle-call is a short burst that sounds similar to a bouncing ball, while that of the Hairy Woodpecker is a shorter burst of the same amplitude. One may identify the woodpecker by pik-call, counting half a second between piks(a total of four must be heard). The downy woodpecker gives a number of vocalizations, including a short pik call. The downy woodpecker's bill is shorter than its head, whereas the hairy woodpecker's bill is approximately equal to head length. The downy woodpecker is virtually identical in plumage pattern to the larger hairy woodpecker, but it can be distinguished from the hairy by the presence of black spots on its white tail feathers and the length of its bill. Adult males have a red patch on the back of the head whereas juvenile birds display a red cap. ![]() They have a black tail with white outer feathers barred with black. There is a white bar above the eye and one below. ![]() The downy woodpecker is mainly black on the upperparts and wings, with a white back, throat and belly and white spotting on the wings. ![]() The total length of the species ranges from 14 to 18 cm (5.5 to 7.1 in) and the wingspan from 25 to 31 cm (9.8 to 12.2 in). Some taxonomic authorities, including the American Ornithological Society, continue to place this species in the genus Picoides.Īdult downy woodpeckers are the smallest of North America's woodpeckers but there are many smaller species elsewhere, especially the piculets. Why they evolved this way cannot be explained with confidence it may be relevant that the species exploit rather different-sized foodstuffs and do not compete very much ecologically. The downy woodpecker ( Dryobates pubescens) is a species of woodpecker, the smallest in North America.ĭespite their close resemblance, downy and hairy woodpeckers are not very closely related, and they are likely to be separated in different genera the outward similarity is a spectacular example of convergent evolution. ![]()
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