Hairy WoodpeckerFebruary 2005

 


The hairy woodpecker is almost identical to the downy woodpecker, but the hairy is significantly larger. When there is an easy frame of reference nearby, such as the suet feeder in the photo below, it is easy to tell the two woodpeckers apart.
 
Hairy woodpecker by our suet feeder
 
  The suet feeder is about 5 inches long. For whatever reason, downy and red-bellied woodpeckers are regular customers (at Coopers Pond, State College), but I only occasionally see hairy woodpeckers by the suet.

All three photos are of the female hairy, since she doesn't have a red spot behind her head. The photo below is not particularly sharp but does show the marking on her back very clearly.
 
Back view of a hairy woodpecker
 
The following photo is from a distance at the bordering game land. Since distance and size are directly related, I depend on telling the difference between downy and hairy woodpeckers by the size of the bill. And the female below does have a very robust bill.
 
Hairy woodpecker in the game land
 
Photo note: I used a Pentax *istD, with the SMC-A* 300mm lens for all three photos.



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