Suet Seeker, Mr. Hairy Woodpecker

I looked out the window and realized immediately that this was the larger of the two woodpeckers who look very similar, the Hairy and the Downy. His size and his longer, chisel-like bill. The more obvious "comma-shaped " black mark from shoulder to breast is also a useful identifier. The Downy and the Hairy look alike, but are not that closely related.

Hairy Woodpeckers are contrastingly black and white. The black wings are checkered with white; the head has two white stripes (and, in males, a flash of red toward the back of the head). A large white patch runs down the center of the black back.~allaboutbirds.org


"Downy Woodpeckers may use their resemblance to Hairy Woodpeckers to fool other species into thinking they are the bigger Hairy Woodpecker (let’s call this the Innocent Bystander Trickery hypothesis). Think of it this way:  If you were a cardinal and thought you saw a Hairy Woodpecker flying toward you, you might be very quick to get out of the way. The pattern was subtle, so more observations are needed to confirm the idea, but it is thanks to FeederWatchers that we have such a good start."~feederwatch.org



"When you hear that distinctive knocking in the woods, you know a woodpecker is nearby. Woodpeckers peck at trees with impressive force. This behavior helps woodpeckers chisel away at tree trunks to unearth tasty insects or sap. Some woodpeckers even use their pecking skills to jam acorns into tree trunks for safekeeping. Rhythmic pecking also helps many woodpeckers keep in touch and coordinate with mates."~academyallaboutbirds

For the Record,
This day came in sunny and cold.

All hands busy