1/17/2024 0 Comments Hairy woodpecker![]() There are a bunch of other ways to attract woodpeckers such as getting a bird bath and planting native trees that woodpeckers love. While you’re at it, do make sure to read our full guide on what to feed woodpeckers, too – as getting their diet right will make a lot of difference! Setting up a woodpecker feeder or two is the best way to guarantee that woodpeckers will visit your yard. Then, we’d recommend reading our buyer’s guide on choosing the best woodpecker feeder. If you’re keen to start spotting woodpeckers in your yard, why not take a look at our guide on how to attract woodpeckers? That’ll give you the basics of what’s required to attract woodpeckers. Some may not flock to gardens and backyards in favor of forests and woodland reaches – however, there’s a chance a rare bird or two may make its way to you. Both the downy and the hairy woodpecker have a patch of white feathers along the middle of their back. Want to see more woodpeckers in your backyard?Īs you can see, there are more than a few wonderful woodpecker species to look out for across Maryland. Hairy woodpeckers aren’t named very descriptively they have feathers, not hair The moniker is often attributed to a difference with their smaller cousin, the downy woodpecker. How to Attract Maryland Woodpeckers to Your Yard 6 Plants That Attract Deer To Your Yard.Nest Cone: The Great Horned Owl Nesting Box Alternative.How To Build A Barred Owl Nesting Box For Your Backyard.How To Attract Butterflies to Your Garden.Woodpecker Species of the United States.How To Get Rid Of Mushrooms In Your Yard.What Is 19-19-19 Fertilizer And When Should You Use It?.How To Transplant Plants Without Killing Them.The Importance Of Growing Native Pollinator Plants In Your Garden.The Ultimate Guide To Growing French Lavender.The Hairy prefers towering trees and deeper woods, while the Downy will settle for baby birches and cattails. Lastly, it’s important to note that the Downy Woodpecker is much more abundant than its Hairy counterpart, especially in suburbia. Also, the male Hairy’s red patch is often split in two, while the Downy’s is not. More subtle clues include the Hairy’s all-white outer tail feathers, compared to the Downy’s spotted ones. Over time the size will become more familiar to you, and you won’t need to lean on the surrounding visuals. But at a distance of 40 feet or more, the difference in length becomes less obvious.Īs your woodpecker moves around, you’ll be able to judge its size in relation to other objects (leaves, branches, etc.). Up close, the two are easy to tell apart, even though they’re the same basic shape and color. Imagine if someone were holding up a silver teaspoon and a silver tablespoon. ![]() ![]() You could glue rulers to every tree and feeder in sight, or you could remember that a Downy is about the size of a House Sparrow, while the Hairy is about the size of a robin.ĭon’t worry, it gets easier with practice. Spying this three-inch difference across a meadow or a yard can be hard at first. The Downy is a little over six inches tall, while the Hairy is almost 50 percent taller. If the bill is not in view-the bird is usually facing a tree, after all-move on to what is perhaps the best clue: overall size. The Hairy’s bill is a railroad spike in comparison, and almost as long as the its head. The Downy’s bill is dainty and about one-third the length of the bird’s head. Though they’re very similar, there are some key differences to look out for.įirst, check for the major difference in bill size. It’s easy to find these woodpeckers out in the woods (just like you find shorebirds on the shore), but an early identification challenge for new birders is distinguishing between these two common species. What’s black and white and red all over? Both Hairy and the Downy Woodpeckers, unfortunately. ![]()
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