Hairy Woodpecker

The Hairy Woodpecker is a medium-sized woodpecker, averaging approximately 250 mm in length with a 380 mm wingspan.

The Hairy Woodpecker is classified as Least Concern. Does not qualify for a more at risk category. Widespread and abundant taxa are included in this category.

hairy woodpecker is also one of the most challenging to identify when compared to its close twin, the downy woodpecker. With practice, however, birders can learn the subtle differences between these two birds. More

Downy Woodpecker and Hairy Woodpecker Identification Characteristics When observing these black and white woodpeckers, consider the following characteristics to tell which is a downy and which is a hairy More

North American RangeThe plumage of Hairy Woodpeckers is a mix of black and white (but see below). Its wings, lower back, and tail are black with white spots; its upper back and outer tail feathers are white. Its underside is white, and its head is marked with wide alternating black and white stripes. Males have a red spot at the backs of their heads which females lack. Hairy Woodpeckers closely resemble Downy Woodpeckers but are larger and have much longer bills. More

The Hairy Woodpecker (Picoides villosus) is a medium-sized woodpecker, averaging approximately 250 mm (9.75 inches) in length with a 380 mm (15 inch) wingspan. With an estimated population in 2003 of over nine million individuals, the Hairy Woodpecker is listed by the IUCN as a species of least concern in North America. More

-The hairy woodpecker is rather rare, as a breeding bird, in my home territory of southeastern Massachusetts, but I have the records of 12 local nests. It shows a decided preference for deciduous woodlands, six of the nests being in dry, upland woods and two in maple swamps; of the other four nests, three were in apple orchards, close to extensive wood lots, and the fourth was in a small, living, red maple in a swampy meadow, some distance from any woods. More

The Hairy Woodpecker has a large range, estimated globally at 13,000,000 square kilometers. Native to North and Central America, this bird prefers subtropical or tropical forest ecosystems. The global population of this bird is estimated at 9,400,000 individuals and does not show signs of decline that would necessitate inclusion on the IUCN Red List. For this reason, the current evaluation status of the Hairy Woodpecker is Least Concern. More

The Hairy Woodpecker (Picoides villosus) is told from the Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens) by having a longer, heavier bill, and an extra two inches or so of overall length. Also, there is a subtle difference on the white outer tail feathers of the two species: the Hairy has no black bars, while the Downy does, a distinction that can often be difficult to determine. These two are the only North American woodpeckers that have white down the middle of the back. More

A hairy woodpecker is an interesting and helpful bird to have in your backyard. A hairy woodpecker is one of the friendliest birds to come in to your feeder. He doesn’t have a loud squawk like a blue jay, he doesn’t empty feeders like a starling will and he doesn’t scold you for a feeder being empty like a chickadee will. More

mistaken for a Downy Woodpecker, however the Hairy Woodpecker is larger and has a larger beak. Inhabits forests, groves and parks throughout most of North America wherever there are trees. USGS Hairy Woodpecker Map The male may begin chiseling several holes in the fall before selecting the right one. Females and males occupy separate holes until the mating season. More

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. It wields a much longer bill than the Downy Woodpecker's almost thornlike bill. Hairy Woodpeckers have a somewhat soldierly look, with their erect, straight-backed posture on tree trunks and their cleanly striped heads. Look for them at backyard suet or sunflower feeders, and listen for them whinnying from woodlots, parks, and forests. More

The Hairy Woodpecker inhabits mature deciduous forests in the Bahamas, Canada, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Puerto Rico, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Turks and Caicos Islands, and the United States. Mating pairs will excavate a hole in a tree, where they will tend to, on average, four white eggs. More

Listen to a recording of a Hairy Woodpecker from the Library of Natural Sounds: Hairy Woodpecker wave male Hairy Woodpecker by Larry McQueen Hairy Woodpeckers are between 9 and 13 inches (16.5 to 26 cm) in length. They are a black-and-white woodpecker with a long, chisel-tipped bill. Females are slightly smaller and less bulky than males. More

* Hairy Woodpeckers have louder, more powerful calls and a faster drum. Sounds Listen to Downy's call or drum Listen to Hairy's call or drum Photo by Raymond Belhumeur, Saint-Hubert, Quebec Photo by Lisa Barker, Reston, Virginia Identification Tips * Check the heaviness and length of the bill compared to the head. More

The Hairy Woodpecker is very similar to its smaller cousin, the Downy Woodpecker, but is much larger. The male has a small red patch on the back of his head, and the female’s is black. The Hairy Woodpecker has a white belly, a large white stripe on his back, and his wings are black with white spots in horizontal rows. The Hairy Woodpecker has a large, pointed bill. The Hairy Woodpecker has two toes pointing forward, and two backward. More

Hairy Woodpeckers are between 9 and 13 inches in length. They are a black-and-white woodpecker with a long, chisel-tipped bill. Females are slightly smaller and less bulky than males. Hairy Woodpeckers find their food by feeling the vibrations made by insects moving about in the wood. They also can hear the insects munch on the wood! Hairy Woodpeckers have a black forehead and crown; males have a red patch on their nape, whereas females have a black nape. More

hairy woodpeckerDescription Hairy Woodpeckers can be anywhere from 6.5 to 10 inches in length. Like the downy woodpecker, colder climates tend to result in larger birds. As it happens, there are over a dozen subcategories of Hairy Woodpecker across the North American continent, down the Central American isthmus and across the Caribbean islands, although even scientists and bird enthusiasts can’t agree on exactly how many; 14, 17 or 21. More

Hairy Woodpecker is a medium-sized black and white woodpecker. It has black head, with broad white supercilium and malar stripe extending to the rear neck. It has black moustache and nape. Back is white and rump is black. Wings are black with white spotting. Underparts are white. Tail is black, with white outer feathers. Adult male has red patch on the rear crown. It has greyish bill, nearly as long as head. Eyes are reddish brown. More

The Hairy Woodpecker is often confused with its smaller cousin, the Downy Woodpecker. They both are dark with a characteristic white stripe down their backs, but the Hairy Woodpecker is larger and has a longer bill. They are both beneficial birds, searching for and eating harmful insects such as the wood-boring beetle. Who's Harry? My name is Jack. More

The Hairy Woodpecker occurs over most of North America and in the high forests of Central America. It avoids desert and grassland habitats, and tropical rainforests. It is a habitat generalist, preferring dense coniferous and mixed deciduous forest. In appearance, it is almost identical to the smaller Downy Woodpecker (see photos menu), but these two species apparently do not influence population abundance of each other. More