Woodpeckers, Doves & Other Land Birds
Downy Woodpecker
Dryobates pubescens
The smallest woodpecker in North America and a regular visitor to backyard suet feeders. It often joins mixed flocks of chickadees and titmice.
How to identify it
- Small, black and white, with a white stripe down the back
- Short, stubby bill
- Male has a small red patch on the back of the head
- Black spots on the white outer tail feathers
- High, whinnying call and soft "pik"
SizeAbout the size of a Song Sparrow
Carolina Chickadee4 in
Song Sparrow6 in
Downy Woodpecker6 in
American Robin10 in
6 inAverage length, bill to tail
Details
- Size
- 5.5–6.5 in long; wingspan 10–12 in
- Weight
- 0.7–1 oz
- Habitat
- Woodlands, parks, yards and orchards
- When to see it
- Year-round across most of the US
- Diet
- Insects, seeds, berries; suet at feeders
Range in the United States
Life history
Food
Eats insects such as beetle larvae and ants, plus berries, seeds and suet.
Nesting
A cavity dug into a dead tree or dead branch.
- Clutch
- 3–8 eggs
- Incubation
- about 12 days
- Young
- Fledge at about 18–21 days
- Broods
- 1 per year
Behavior
Joins winter flocks of chickadees and titmice. Males and females feed on different parts of trees.
Conservation
Common and stable.
Cool facts
- It's small enough to feed on goldenrod stems for insect larvae.
- Males tend to feed on smaller branches and females on larger ones.
- It drums on trees and even metal to attract mates.
Songs & calls
▶Bird sounds video coming soon
Watch the Downy Woodpecker
▶Video coming soon
