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Hairy vs downy woodpecker12/11/2023 Producer: John Kessler Managing Producer: Jason Saul Associate Producer: Ellen Blackstone © 2018 Tune In to Nature. BirdNote’s theme music was composed and played by Nancy Rumbel and John Kessler. Looking for ID Help Get Instant ID help for 650+ North American birds. Recorded by WL Hershberger and B Mcguire. Similar looking birds to Nuttalls Woodpecker: Ladder-backed Woodpecker Male, Ladder-backed Woodpecker Female, Downy Woodpecker Male (Eastern), Hairy Woodpecker Male (Eastern). # Bird sounds provided by The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. Today's show brought to you by the Bobolink Foundation. Belonging to the Picidae family, with an estimated global breedin. In a competitive “who eats first” situation-like at your backyard feeder-the Downy’s appearance may cause other birds to stand back from what, at first glance, looks like the more physically powerful Hairy Woodpecker.īut whatever the adaptive history, confused birders will continue to ask, “Is that a Hairy? Or a Downy”? A familiar sight at backyard feeders, the Downy is the smallest North American woodpecker. Others suggest the smaller Downy Woodpecker may gain a kind of “stealth” advantage by looking like the larger Hairy. The two live in similar woods, nest in similar trees, and eat many of the same things. Some think the woodpeckers look alike because they share the same ecological niche. It raises an intriguing question: Why would two birds so distantly related evolve nearly identical markings? They are often found in deciduous forests, parks, and backyards, and have a distinctive black and white pattern on their feathers. The Downy Woodpecker is the smallest woodpecker in North America, measuring only 6-7 inches long. Hairy Woodpeckers are actually more closely related to birds such as the White-headed Woodpecker, which looks very different.ĭowny and Hairy Woodpeckers may not even belong to the same genus. Compare with Similar Species Click on an image to compare Downy Woodpecker Ladder-backed Woodpecker Nuttall's Woodpecker American Three-toed Woodpecker Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Looking for ID Help Get Instant ID help for 650+ North American birds. Downy Vs Hairy Woodpecker Downy Woodpecker. However, DNA testing has shown these birds to be quite different. The two species’ complex patterns of black and white feathers are so alike that it was long thought that they were the closest of relatives. Generations of birders have puzzled over how to tell Downy Woodpeckers from Hairy Woodpeckers. Written by Bob Sundstrom This is BirdNote. Hairy Woodpeckers are larger than Downy Woodpeckers with a longer bill. Why Do Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers Look So Similar?
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