When I was staring out as a birder, I’d get confused between Downy Woodpeckers and Hairy Woodpeckers. At first peek they sure look alike. I think they were problematic for a few reasons. First, let’s be honest, the names stink if you’re looking at them in the field. The “Hairy” name comes from thin hair-like feathers on the bird’s back compared to the fluffier ones on the Downy Woodpecker. That might be useful in a specimen drawer at the museum or when in hand during bird banding, but I’ve never seen it in the field. Okay, I might be able to convince myself that I’ve at least imagined it once or twice when using really nice binoculars on a cooperative bird at close range, but it isn’t a usable field marking. Perhaps I’ll pay closer attention when they visit the suet feeder and see if it is more obvious at close range.
Hairy Woodpeckers are larger and can be triple the mass of Downys. Up close Hairy Woodpeckers can seem downright massive, but usually you don’t have the two species next to each other for comparison. Plus, size can be hard to judge at times. Distance from the subject, white skies, and not having something of known dimensions next to the bird can make size estimation difficult.
Another differentiation is that the outer tail feathers of Hairy Woodpeckers are all white instead of striped like those of Downys. Again, this is not the most useful clue in the field. I never really observed this until I painted them!
The best way to tell these birds apart is the size of the beak relative to the head. By comparison, the Hairy’s beak is super-long, and the Downy’s is almost stubby. A Hairy’s beak is about as long as its head’s width; a Downy’s is only about a third the length of its head.
Though their names aren’t the greatest, they sure are charming birds.
The original painting is for sale in my Etsy shop: Watercolor Painting of Juvenile Hairy Woodpecker. If you’re interested in a print, just let me know here or with an Etsy convo. (Thanks!)
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