▶ Hairy woodpeckers are monogamous, i.e., they have one mate for a period of 4 years. Hairy woodpeckers are a mixture of black and white. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Hairy Woodpeckers have a somewhat soldierly look, with their erect, straight-backed posture on tree trunks and their cleanly striped heads. They are found throughout North America. Though they’re very similar, there are some key differences to look out for. It’s easy to find these woodpeckers out in the woods (just like you find shorebirds on the shore), but an early identification challenge for new birders is distinguishing between these two common species. In fact, there is rarely a bird so beneficial to mankind as the hairy woodpecker. One chief difference is the length of their beaks; the downy’s beak is half the length of its head, while the hairy’s beak is as long as its head. This can sometimes be seen even during flight. Like other woodpeckers, they mostly feed on insects that seek refuge within dead wood, by digging holes in it. Female Hairy Woodpecker ▶ Size and Shape This is a powerful, medium-sized bird with a square head, and a straight beak ending with a chisel-like tip, which is as long as the head itself. ▶ They are beneficial to humans as they kill insects that are destructive to orchards, forests, crops, and shade trees. They consume sap from tree-stems, and are also spotted tapping at sugarcane to lick the sweet juice oozing out. 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. ✦ The longest recorded lifespan of a captive hairy woodpecker was 15 years, 11 months, though its life is much lesser in the wild. ✦ Hairy woodpeckers are shy creatures and are usually found in pairs. Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Tufts of feathers near the beak prevent particles from entering its nostrils. Woodpeckers can tap on wood at a speed of 100 blows per minute! Ladder-backed Woodpecker. Size & Shape. 75% of the hairy woodpecker diet comprises such insects. Nests in cavities. Long tail feathers are used to support the bird while standing. Get Instant ID help for 650+ North American birds. ▶ It eats wood-boring beetles and their larvae, along with other insects like caterpillars, millipedes, cockroaches, ants, grasshoppers, beetles, flies, and also spiders. They have a straight, chisel-like bill, blocky … They leave the nests about 28 days after hatching, though their parents continue to feed them for sometime after this period. Male and female birds look similar, but males have a bright red patch on the back of the head, while females have a … This, and other facts about the hairy woodpecker, follows. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. ✦ They also follow pileated woodpeckers when they chisel holes in trees. As already mentioned, they are also found in suburban backyards near bird feeders. Readily visits feeders, especially suet. Mating occurs three months before nesting. ✦ Two of the smallest species of hairy woodpeckers―Picoides villosus piger and Picoides villosus maynardi―are found in the Bahamas. Your Online Guide To Birds And Bird Watching. The downy woodpecker (Picoides pubescens) is the smallest North American woodpecker and can be found year-round throughout the continental United States and southern Canada. ▶ Woodpeckers move up the tree in a movement called ‘hitching’, which involves moving in short leaps. This action of ‘pecking’ or tapping on wood stems is what gives all woodpeckers their name. Comprehensive life histories for all bird species and families. Red-cockaded Woodpecker. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. ▶ Between the years 1966 to 2010, their population increased by just 1%. Another misunderstood part is the significance of the hairy woodpecker. ▶ Both the male and the female take turns to watch over their 4 eggs, in shifts. Both Hairy and the Downy Woodpeckers, unfortunately. At just 6 to 7 inches long, these birds can be difficult to spot, but they are common in forests, urban areas, parks, and other habitats. Would you like to write for us? Nuttall's Woodpecker. They closely resemble another common species – the downy woodpecker. They also select ‘drumming posts’, tapping on which creates a louder sound. ✦ The vigorous tapping on tree trunks does not injure the woodpecker, because it has strong head and neck muscles. ✦ Unlike downy woodpeckers which forage for food on thin, fragile branches, hairy woodpeckers always frequent thick, strong branches and stems. They generally prefer deciduous and pine forests. Hairy Woodpecker Like a large, long-billed version of the downy woodpecker , the hairy is a widespread generalist of a variety of forests and woodlands over most of the continent. The striped head along with an upright posture gives it a ‘soldierly’ look. However, they also frequent urban surroundings in search of grains and suet commonly found in backyard feeders. Hairy Woodpecker Female (Rocky Mts.) ▶ The hairy woodpecker taps at the tree trunk, until it detects an insect tunnel because of the difference in resonance of sound. ▶ The vegetarian portion of their diet includes sunflower seeds, grains, nuts, peanut butter, and suet from bird feeders. These cookies do not store any personal information. They often occur together, but the Hairy, a larger bird, requires larger trees; it is usually less common, especially in the east, and less likely to show up in suburbs and city parks.