Species Specifics: Downy & Hairy Woodpeckers

Many people have a hard time differentiating between two species of woodpeckers that visit our backyard feeders. Both downy (top picture) and hairy woodpeckers (bottom picture) have white backs, black wings with white spots and black and white streaked faces. The males of both species have a red patch on the back of their head and the females do not. The only obvious difference between the downy woodpecker and the hairy woodpecker is size. Downy woodpeckers are about 6” long and their bills are about half the length of their head. The hairy, whose bill is almost as long as it’s head, is about 9”.
Both downies and hairies drum to announce territory and to attract a mate. They rarely accept a manmade nest box. The male and female of both species spend 1-3 weeks excavating a nest hole – the downy more often in dead wood, the hairy more often in live wood. No material is added to the nest. Both species lay 4-6 white eggs right on top of the woodchips. Both males and females incubate the eggs about 12 days, the males incubate at night. Downy babies are in the nest about 21 days and after fledging are cared for by the parents for up to 3 more weeks. Hairies leave the nest after 28-30 days and are on their own a few days later.
Downy and hairy woodpeckers predominantly feed on wood-boring insects but both species will visit suet feeders and feeders filled with sunflower seeds or peanuts. Hairies, however, are not as common at the feeders as their cousin the downy woodpecker. You’ll often see more than one pair of downies around your feeders because they are not as territorial as the larger hairy woodpecker.