One of their favorite titbits are the pupae inside moth cocoons. They also consume ants, caterpillars, spiders, wasps, bees and millipedes. They love feasting on bark beetles, especially the larvae. To add some variety to their diet, they’ll also feast on acorns, berries and grains. That’s why they can often be found in orchards. There are also slight differences in the preferred diet of these birds.ĭowny woodpeckers mainly feed on insects such as tent caterpillars, corn earworms, apple borers and bark beetles. Downy woodpeckers will have a small, round opening in the cavity while hairy woodpeckers are likely to nest in a cavity that is larger and has an oval opening. A look at the cavity opening will tell you which species is nesting there. However, because downy woodpeckers are more frequent visitors to suburban areas, you’re more likely to spot one of these birds at your feeders.Īnother clue as to whether you have a downy or hairy woodpecker nearby is to find their nesting cavity. Therefore, you might find one of these birds frequenting your backyard feeder if there’s plenty of food available. This bird prefers dense woodlands but can also sometimes venture into suburban areas. These smaller birds are also known to spend their time in suburban areas and are likely to frequent gardens, parks and orchards.Ĭonversely, the hairy woodpecker likes to spend his time in tall forests filled with both deciduous and coniferous trees. The downy woodpecker prefers open forests with deciduous trees and will spend most of its time along the brushy edges of these forests. Differences In Habitat Preferencesīoth the downy and hairy woodpeckers have different habitat preferences although you might find both of them at your woodpecker feeders. These might all be quite subtle differences but when you add them together, they can help you identify each species more easily. The nasal tufts are the feathers at the top of the beak. Upon closer inspection, you will also find that downy woodpeckers have distinct fluffy nasal tufts while hairy woodpeckers don’t. Hairy woodpeckers have a black stripe in the shape of a comma on their shoulders while downy woodpeckers just have a black patch that blends into the black feathers on their back. A female hairy woodpecker also has the white eyebrow stripe but it does not go right around the head.Īnother very slight difference in appearance is the markings on the shoulder. On the female birds, the downy woodpecker has a white eyebrow stripe that goes right around the head to meet up with the other side. The downy woodpecker has the same red patch but it is not split. You might also find that the red patch on the back of the head is split into two on the hairy woodpecker. On the other hand, the downy woodpecker has black spots on its tail feathers. The hairy woodpeckers outer tail feathers are completely white. Look At The Feathers And MarkingsĪnother slight differences between the two birds can be seen in the tail feathers. This makes a hairy woodpecker’s drumming sound much faster. Downy woodpeckers usually produce 17 drums per second while hairy woodpeckers will produce 25 drums per second. There’s also a noticeable difference in the “drumming” of these birds. It also can emit a high-pitched “whinny” that descends in tone and has a rattle at the end. On the other hand, the downy woodpecker makes a short and friendly “pik” or “chip” sound. These birds also produce a sharp and loud rattle in the same pitch, that sounds like the motor of a sewing machine or a muffled jack hammer. This sounds very similar to the sound made by a dog’s squeaky toy. The hairy woodpecker makes a sharp “peek” or “cheep” type call. Looking at the length of the bird’s beak is probably one of the easiest ways to distinguish one species from the other.Īnother way to tell these two birds apart is by listening to their calls as they are very different. Its length is only about a third of the length of its head. On the other hand, the downy woodpecker has a much shorter and stubbier beak. It’s also thicker and more dagger-like to look at. Another distinct difference between the two species is that the hairy woodpecker has a much longer beak.
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