How Do You Tell The Difference Between Downy And Hairy Woodpeckers?
The Hairy and Downy Woodpeckers are two of the most common woodpeckers in all of North America. As it happens, they also look exactly alike and distinguishing between the two takes a little practice. Assess the size of the woodpeckers. Hairy Woodpeckers are approximately one-third longer than their Downy counterparts. While this may be the quickest mean to differentiate between the two species, it requires having already seen multiple woodpeckers, preferably side by side. Assess the bill size. On Downy Woodpeckers, the bill measures roughly half the length of its head. The bill of a Hairy Woodpecker, on the other hand, is thicker and as long as the head. Scrutinize the tail. Downy Woodpeckers possess black barring on the sides of its outer tail feathers. The tail feathers of the Hairy Woodpecker, on the other hand, are often pure white. This rule, however, is less than foolproof, because of regional variations, you may find some black barring on a Hairy, or a Downy with almost none at
