![]() ![]() Downy Woodpeckers have the undulating flight pattern typical of many woodpecker species, alternating quick wingbeats with folding the wings against the body. Occasionally hops on the ground for food. You may also see them perched atop tall weeds such as goldenrod in late summer, hammering away at a plant gall to get at the larva inside. Downy Woodpeckers move horizontally and downwards on trees much more readily than most other woodpeckers. You may also find Downy Woodpeckers in open areas, where they can nest along fencerows and feed amid tall weeds.Īn active woodpecker that moves quickly over tree trunks, branches, and stems of grasses and wildflowers, characteristically leaning against its stiffened tail feathers for support. Also found in created habitats including orchards, parks, and suburbs. Open woodlands, particularly deciduous woods and along streams. The oldest known Downy Woodpecker lived to be at least 11 years 11 months old. In fact, feeding birds make surprisingly little noise even when they're digging vigorously into wood.ĭowny Woodpeckers have been discovered nesting inside the walls of buildings. People sometimes think this drumming is part of the birds' feeding habits, but it isn't. Woodpeckers don't sing songs, but they drum loudly against pieces of wood or metal to achieve the same effect. You may see them hammering at goldenrod galls to extract the fly larvae inside. The Downy Woodpecker eats foods that larger woodpeckers cannot reach, such as insects living on or in the stems of weeds. When researchers have removed males from a woodlot, females have responded by feeding along smaller branches. Males keep females from foraging in the more productive spots. Males feed more on small branches and weed stems, and females feed on larger branches and trunks. Male and female Downy Woodpeckers divide up where they look for food in winter. Advantages of flocking include having to spend less time watching out for predators and better luck finding food from having other birds around. In my video, this wash is not apparent at all, which I admit is quite confusing.In winter Downy Woodpeckers are frequent members of mixed species flocks. The Red-bellied is named for the “wash of pinkish-red” often but not always seen on its belly. NOTE: For novice birders, I must explain that this is indeed a Red-bellied Woodpecker, and not a Red-headed Woodpecker, the latter having a entirely red head and upper neck (= a red “hood”). Ah … that reminds me … I still need footage of a Red-bellied doing his “drumming thing.” Would someone please point me in the right direction? It is wonderful that they drum on resonant wood during breeding season, thereby providing a percussive low-pitched counterpoint to the musical tweeting of the songbird tribe. I love my woodpeckers, every last one of them. If I see stress reactions, all I need to do is move farther away, or else put up my hide (my photographer’s blind). Why? Because I can videotape adults and nestlings from a considerable distance, without causing them undue stress. While I generally don’t do videography of nests (due to the disturbance factor), I make an exception with woodpeckers. Please point me in the direction of their dwellings! At least two Northern Flickers call and drum all morning long, but where are their nests? We also have Downy and Hairy woodpeckers. Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers are common in our woods, and they’re drumming like crazy now. Should a pair nest in that hole, I’ll have an excellent view of the young come June, when they excitedly gander at the outside world just before they are fledged.īut I also want to find nests of other species. I saw an adult male pecking around a fresh-looking nest hole. Yesterday I found a Pileated Woodpecker nest, about twenty-five feet up an aspen tree. I am quite enthusiastic about the woodpeckers in my backyard. I sure hope a pair nests there, right at my doorstep, where they will be easy to observe and videotape. Looking more closely with my binoculars, I discovered what appears to be the beginnings of a nest hole. He was calling with regularity and tapping at the bark intermittently. Heading in the direction of the sound, I soon discovered the woodpecker perched near the top of a dead stub (a tree whose top was missing). Just as I got out of my car, I heard the telltale querrr call of a Red-bellied. After a frustrating morning trying to locate a Ruffed Grouse drumming log, with no success, I returned home to take a shower and mellow out. This morning’s catch: A Red-bellied Woodpecker giving its vibrant querrr calls, along with tapping, at a potential nest site.
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