5 March 2024

Final month my pals and I have been debating the identification of a woodpecker photographed by Donna Foyle throughout the Yard Hen Rely. Is that this a downy woodpecker or a furry? The photograph’s partial view and low mild situations make it an fascinating ID problem.

First let’s have a look at two clear pictures of each birds, downy woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens) and furry woodpecker (Dryobates villosus), then discuss concerning the area marks.

The downy woodpecker is 3/4 the size of a furry woodpecker and weighs lower than half. Nonetheless, this can be a difficult area mark once you don’t have each birds subsequent to one another. (*Thanks, Laura, for reminding me within the feedback.)

The simplest area mark once you’re taking a look at a solo chook is the size of the beak relative to size of the top.

• The downy’s beak is shorter than his head front-to-back.
• The furry’s beak is similar size as his head front-to-back.

Sadly the chook in Donna’s photograph appears to have an intermediate invoice size. Maybe it was the angle.

The scale of the white patch on the downy woodpecker’s neck is bigger than the one on the furry. David Sibley illustrated this clue to their identification in an article in 2011. The clue is delicate in my comparability pictures however the chook in Donna’s photograph appears to have a big white patch on its neck. Downy?

The fourth clue is on the again of the male’s head however you want a photograph to see this.

• The crimson on the again of the male downy’s head is a steady line.
• The crimson on the again of the furry’s head is damaged by a vertical black patch.

The furry’s head photograph was the very best I might discover. David Sibley has illustration at this hyperlink.

And eventually, downy woodpeckers have dots on their outer tail feathers whereas furry woodpeckers have all-white outer tail feathers. Pictures of lacking white dots weren’t helpful so there’s solely this illustration.

I’ve by no means — ever — seen the tail feather area mark as a result of I’m too busy taking a look at beaks.

Kathy Miller had the very best recommendation throughout the downy-hairy debate, “If I can’t inform which one it’s, it’s a downy.”

(pictures from Donna Foyle & Wikimedia Commons)