The smallest woodpecker in North America, common and widespread, although it avoids the arid southwest. In most areas of habitat, the Downy Woodpecker is a year-round resident, but at northern extreme of range, the Downy Woodpecker may move south for the winter. In the east this is the most familiar member of the family, readily entering towns and city parks, coming to backyard bird feeders. The Downy Woodpecker is the smallest of Washington's woodpeckers. Linnaeus, however, never saw a Downy Woodpecker, instead basing his description (Linnaeus, C. (1758a). An often acrobatic forager, this black-and-white woodpecker is at home on tiny branches or balancing on slender plant galls, sycamore seed balls, and suet feeders.
When the weather turns cold and the insects burrow deeper, the Downy Woodpecker must rely on its sharp, stubby beak to drill holes and find food. The Downy Woodpecker is a Linnaean species—named not by an American scientist, but by Carl Von Linne (i.e., Linnaeus), the father of the science of taxonomy. An often acrobatic forager, this black-and-white woodpecker is at home on tiny branches or balancing on slender plant galls, sycamore seed balls, and suet feeders. Downy Woodpeckers do not migrate. ... Migration Status. The active little Downy Woodpecker is a familiar sight at backyard feeders and in parks and woodlots, where it joins flocks of chickadees and nuthatches, barely outsizing them. Photo by … Its plumage is a mix of black and white (but see below.) At your feeder, the Downy Woodpecker happily accepts sunflower seeds, nuts, suet, and bits of dried fruit. Its small size makes it versatile, and it may forage on weed stalks as well as in large trees. Its wings, lower back, and tail are black with white spots; its upper back and outer tail feathers are white. The Downy Woodpecker has black in the outer rectrix while the Hairy rarely does. They will also eat fruit and grains when available. The active little Downy Woodpecker is a familiar sight at backyard feeders and in parks and woodlots, where it joins flocks of chickadees and nuthatches, barely outsizing them. Photo by Barbara Frei, McGill Bird Observatory (QC), May 2007 . Migration. However, SY birds can sometimes have very pointed rectrices that may support other plumage characteristics.