Who knows? Maybe he was sizing up me and my beak. Right about then the bird noticed he was being watched. It took another minute or so of watching before I was able to see the bill and note its large size. Listen for drumming on hollow branches and gutters next month, when woodpeckers of all species begin to drum to declare territories in preparation for spring breeding.)Ībout the same time I pinned down which tree the sound was coming from, the bird hopped from one branch to another, and I was able to see the red on the back of the head. (This hunt-and-peck foraging behavior is decidedly different from the drumming woodpeckers are famous for. It was determinedly rapping on a dead branch in a tree close to the river, picking away at the loose bark and digging for larvae and other treats embedded in the wood. ![]() I say saw, but I actually heard the bird first. I was reminded of this difference just the other day when I saw, for the first time in several months, a hairy woodpecker in the Native Plant Garden at Pottawatomie Park in St. The hairy’s beak, by contrast, is about as long as the head itself. On the downy, the bill is small, almost like a thorn poking out of the front of the bird’s head. Probably the easiest way to tell downies and hairies apart is to look at the bill relative to the rest of the body. You’d think this size difference would make distinguishing the species a snap, but a few inches aren’t much when the bird in question is 50 feet away and pecking its way around a massive oak tree. Downies are about the same size as a regular Portillo’s dog, while hairies are more like the jumbos you can get for about 50 cents more.) (Food addict that I am, I like to relate the two species as hot dogs. Downies are the smallest of our local woodpeckers, measuring about 6 1/2 in. And the males of both birds have a splash of red on the back of the head. Both species are predominantly black and white, with checkered wings and a white stripe on their backs. Should you be lucky enough to spot a hairy, you certainly want to take a second look.īoth hairies and downies belong to the genus Picoides, a name derived from the Latin word picus, which means-get this-woodpecker. hairies, are definitely a minority when compared to their smaller cousins the downy woodpeckers, or downies. Here in Kane County, hairy woodpeckers, a.k.a. And a hairy sink…well that’s just gross.Ī hairy woodpecker, on the other hand, is darn cool. A hairy situation typically is one that’s turned treacherous. Good Natured: Hairy Woodpeckers December 7, 2018Īlthough the word “hairy” isn’t itself inherently bad, it’s often used to describe something that is less than ideal. Downy bills, by comparison, are about half as long. ![]() Although similar in appearance to a downy woodpecker, hairy woodpeckers can be distinguished by their larger overall size and–here’s the clincher–a bill that is nearly as long as the bird’s head. Eyes closed against possible splinters, a male hairy woodpecker forages along a tree branch.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |