Downy Woodpeckers
Member of the Picidae Family:
Woodpeckers ... Sapsuckers ... Flickers
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Description:
The Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens)is the smallest woodpecker in North America. dults are mainly black on the upper parts and wings, with a white back, throat and belly and white spotting on the wings. There is a white bar above and below the eye. They have a black tail with white outer feathers barred with black.
Adult males have a red patch on the back of the head. It is similar in appearance to the much larger Hairy Woodpecker.
Distribution / Habitat:
Their breeding habitat is forested areas, mainly deciduous, across most of North America to Central America. They nest in a tree cavity, excavated by the nesting pair in a dead tree or limb.
These birds are mostly permanent residents. Northern birds may migrate further south; birds in mountainous areas may move to lower elevations. These birds forage on trees, picking the bark surface in summer and digging deeper in winter.
Diet:
They mainly eat insects, also seeds and berries.
Copyright: Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from Wikipedia.org
Related Web Resources: USGS ... Downy Woodpecker - Picoides Pubescens (Chipper Woods Bird Observatory) ... Birds of Nova Scotia ... Greennature.com ... Internet Bird Collection (Downy Woodpecker videos) ... Oiseaux.net / French ... Mangoverde
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