Shortly after we moved into our house, my husband came in and said we had the biggest Downy he had ever seen. Of course, what he had seen was a Hairy Woodpecker. The two are remarkably similar.
For comparison, here are the two at the same feeder: (Click to enlarge)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikVlQdW1W4v4MpgzvCYKluxzxEPi89Ge_d5CxZOuwXSa3zhVIwQ-OUIcoGcqBfLKi-L6__-Y9VnbI3GDYAdxkp-npr8izSVs-YUv0Lljg4cagBBSaGJ9KDKmdX2V1TnGmmq8qp7LXnnyA/s400/downy+002.jpg)
Compare him to the Hairy:
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaw1ewCH39yW-irPGJJsvrQhcwYYaQ1CEoPhwXVKUchQM-6LtZIeClYjBEeNzMe8Lwf6LByVxmh1d0OyCtbk3pBERPxOOM4O_phNkD3PmamKnYVbvZyhHrO8JQDqi0TU-WCO07J1S8sx8/s400/jun14+012.jpg)
Both the Downy and the Hairy do drumming on dead trees to attract mates and establish territory. Our other woodpeckers, the Pileated and (to a lesser extent) the Red-Bellied also drum. The resonance of the drumming is very different from the sound of pecking for insects or excavating a nest cavity. It is a wonderful and welcome sound. No additonal percussion is required.
6 comments:
Yes, I've always thought that the Hairy WPs look like Downy's on steroids! Your shots & description demonstrate nicely the difference in size.
Wow! Great shots! I love to hear them "drumming" also!
I see Hairy Woodpeckers frequently on the trails, but I have never had one come to my suet feeder. We get Downy Woodpeckers frequently. But you are in the woods, not the city suburbs. Good comparison shots.
I had a few Downys but never a Hairy. A few Red-Bellied also. I sure miss them... Red-Bellieds always announced their arrival from a nearby tree before landing on the suet cake feeder.
What a great contrast for comparison! I've never seen a Hairy, but plenty of Downys come to visit.
Michele - Good description.
Kerri - I've learned to differentiate the various drumming and I just love listening.
Ruth - When we lived in the suburbs, we also saw Downys but not Hairys.
Mary - Our Red-bellieds also signal their arrival. And they really fuss at us if we are on the deck near the suet.
Jayne - I need to get some photo editing program to really show the difference without enlarging the pictures.
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