Early last summer, I was making my way through one of my favorite local woods when I heard the unmistakable sound of young chicks crying out for food. At first, I scanned the nearby trees for a nest, but I found nothing. Despite this, the cries kept coming. As I made my way through the underbrush, following the sound of the hungry chicks, I eventually came across this adult male downy woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens), caterpillar in mouth, eagerly watching over his chicks in a nearby dead tree.
The downy woodpecker is the smallest of the North American woodpecker species and can be found from the Atlantic to Pacific coasts, as far North as Alaska, and as far South as northern Mexico. Downy woodpeckers are commonly mistaken for their larger relative, the hairy woodpecker (Dryobates villosus), whose plumage is virtually identical to that of the downy woodpecker. Apart from size, the distinguishing features between these two species are the presence of black spots on the white tail feathers of downy woodpeckers and the size of each species' beak. While the beaks of downy woodpeckers are shorter than the length of their heads, the length of hairy woodpecker's beaks are approximately equal to that of their heads.
Like shown in the images below, downy woodpeckers commonly make their nests in hollowed out cavities they make in dead deciduous trees. They feed on insects as well as berries and seeds and are commonly found in backyards and suburban centers in the winter months wherever birdfeeders and suet blocks can be found.
Be on the lookout for this beautiful feathered friend on your next walk through the woodlands of North America!
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