19e1bede-5384-4ad6-a7f3-d7a67a35997b

Downy Woodpecker

The small black and white woodpecker with a small patch of red on the back of its head clings to the bark of a tree.

Found year-round. Visual Identification: Looks similar to the Hairy Woodpecker but is smaller and has a shorter bill. Black and white checkered wings with a white patch down their back. Black and white striped head and white underbody. The bill is small and short in comparison to their body. Males have a small red patch on the back of their heads. Juveniles have a small red cap instead of red at the back of their head. Fun Facts: Male and female downy woodpeckers divide up where they look for food in winter. Males feed more on small branches and weed stems, and females feed on larger branches and trunks. They eat foods that larger woodpeckers cannot reach, such as insects living on or in the stems of weeds. Woodpeckers don’t sing songs. Instead, they drum loudly against pieces of wood or metal to achieve the same effect. Downy woodpeckers have been discovered nesting inside the walls of buildings. The oldest known downy woodpecker was a male that was at least 11 years old. He had been banded in the California in 1985. He was recaptured and rereleased in 1996 during banding operations in the same state.

Permission must be secured from the individual copyright owners to reproduce any copyrighted materials contained within this website. Digital assets without any copyright restrictions are public domain.

NPS/Volunteer Rusty Wilson

Public domain:Full Granting Rights

Image

Ninety Six National Historic Site, Code: NISI

Ninety Six National Historic Site, Greenwood County, South Carolina
Latitude: 34.1427001953125, Longitude: -82.0164031982422

NPS.gov Collection

Public Can View

Wednesday, June 16, 2021 11:12:51 AM

Saturday, April 27, 2024 3:18:36 PM

downy1.png

png

2.3 MB

Scenic