It’s often easy to tell a Hairy Woodpecker from a Downy Woodpecker.
See my previous post Hairy and Downy by Size and Bill, for the tried-and-true ways to tell these woodpeckers apart. This post is about some minor field marks, for when we can’t decide or can’t get a proper look at the bird. Or to help us really see the bird.
So here are two more field marks to look at.
This guy is not letting us see his bill. And we can’t judge the bird’s size, either, because we have nothing for comparison.
Tale of the tail
So we look at the white outer tail feathers.
If they are clean, unspotted white, then our bird is probably a Hairy Woodpecker. This is not a slam dunk, because sometime Downy Woodpeckers don’t show any spots there, at least not every second of every day. But white outer tail feathers are a good clue for Hairy.
If the white outer feathers did have black spots, we could be confident the woodpecker was a Downy.
Boys with a head for roses
The males of both woodpeckers have red on the back of the head. A male Hairy Woodpecker often shows two red spots, like a pair of roses side by side. Like in the photo above. (A PAIR of roses in his HAIR)
A male Downy Woodpecker’s head usually shows an undivided red spot.
The red on the head alone is not enough to make a positive identification, because a few Downys have a divided red spot, and some Hairys have a solid red spot. So it’s evidence, not proof.
The double red spots on the bird above do point to Hairy. When the bird turns his head, all doubt is gone. This is a Hairy Woodpecker.
I’d love to hear your comments and feedback.
Very helpful clues to help identify. Thanks.