![]() The Red-bellied Woodpeckers, at about 9-11”, love insects, including spiders. Hairy Woodpeckers are frequently seen at suet feeders and sunflower seeds, especially during the winter months. About 20% of their diet consists of fruit and seeds. They also love insects, particularly wood-boring beetles, bark beetles, ants, and moth pupae. Just like the Downy Woodpecker, the males have the red patch on the back of their heads, while the females do not. The Hairy Woodpecker, is the oversized version of the Downy Woodpecker, measuring about 7-10”. About a quarter of their diet consists of plant materials like berries, acorns, and grains. Downies love beetle larvae that live inside wood or tree bark, as well as ants, caterpillars, and beetles. These woodpeckers remain with us all winter and are frequent visitors to our suet and sunflower feeders. The males have a small red patch on their back of their heads, females do not. The Bird-watcher column appears every other Thursday.The Downy Woodpecker, at about 7”, is the smaller version of the Hairy Woodpecker (I always remember that it’s “downsized”). Wild hairy woodpeckers are also impressive because they’ve been known to live as long as 15 years.įor more information on the Great Backyard Bird Count, go to. They can benefit hairy and other woodpeckers, and the holes they excavate can later provide homes for nuthatches and other birds, or even flying squirrels! When possible, it’s great for New Jersey homeowners to leave dead trees or limbs standing in their yard. The hairy woodpecker is still vulnerable in much of the nation, since its nesting sites in dead snags are still often apt to be cut down. And when they hammer away at a tree, it’s often much louder than a downy. It’s usually a combination of a tweek and a series of sputters. They will also eat sap and seeds - and, of course, they are not averse to visiting the friendly backyard suet feeder. Hairy woodpeckers feed primarily on wood-boring insects like beetles and their larvae, as well as ants and moth pupae. How did the hairy woodpecker get its name?įrom the long, thread-like white feathers running down the middle of their black backs. I’ve seen a hairy woodpecker hammer away at one spot for what seems like ages in a focused display of single-mindedness - and then, apparently nabbing its prey, just fly away like it was no big deal! Hairy woodpeckers are especially entertaining to watch because of their high level of energy and determination in attacking tree trunks, which they do at speeds of up to 100 blows per minute. What is the coolest thing about hairy woodpeckers? As a result, you’re more likely to spot downy woodpeckers at New Jersey feeders. Recent studies attribute their similarities more to convergence, in which species not closely related independently evolve similar traits or appearances, rather than to recently shared ancestry.ĭowny woodpeckers tend to be more common than hairy woodpeckers, as hairys require larger, more mature trees and so are less apt to be found in many suburban backyards and parks. Interestingly enough, hairy and downy woodpeckers are not that closely related. The Bird Watcher: The mystique of the 'smoke-phase' wild turkey More: Peacocks on a plane? Doggies in a diner? 'Emotional support' animals get the fish-eye ![]() The more stubby bill of the downy is just a fraction of the size of its head overall.Īlso, while neither is by any means exclusive, the hairy woodpecker will often be found drumming away at tree trunks, while the smaller downy woodpecker will frequently work away at the branches. The main visual difference is in the bill - the hairy's bill is nearly as long as their entire head. For comparison purposes, a hairy is similar in size to a robin, while a downy's size is akin to a house sparrow. The hairy woodpecker is nearly 1.5 times larger than a downy. How can you tell a hairy woodpecker from a downy? To learn more about hairy woodpeckers, I checked with David Wheeler, the head of Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |