BIRD OF THE MONTH

February: Downy Woodpecker

by Janine Schutt

Downy Woodpecker

A keystone species of Kitsap forests is the diminutive Downy Woodpecker. An endearing bird, it can be found foraging on its own, with a mate, or alongside mixed winter songbird flocks. It is a frequent visitor to suet feeders and can often be found by pinpointing the source of soft tapping on tree bark. Here are some fascinating facts about the Downy Woodpecker:

• Smallest woodpecker in North America, measuring 6-7 inches from head to tail.

• Year-round resident of wooded areas across the U.S. and Canada.

• Very similar in appearance and about ⅔ the size of its larger cousin, the Hairy Woodpecker. A shorter bill is the most noticeable differentiating feature.

• Males and females are black and white, and the male also has a red nape. All juveniles have a temporary red crown, which fades after a few months.

• Lives in mixed forests and tends to prefer deciduous trees in open woodlands.

• Can take insects from weed stalks and the underside of thin branches that larger woodpeckers can’t access.

• Tiny bill allows it to grab insect eggs and grubs from small crevices in tree bark.

• Supplements its diet with fruit, seeds, tree sap from sapsucker wells and readily visits backyard suet feeders.

• Small bill makes it a weak excavator, so the soft wood of a dead or dying tree is used for digging out a 6 to 12-inch-deep nest cavity with a 1 ¼ inch wide entrance hole. It takes up to 3 weeks to complete the nest chamber.

• Pair excavates a new nest hole each year to raise a single brood.

• Both parents incubate 4 or 5 eggs for about 12 days.

• Nestlings fledge after 20-25 days and follow their parents for about another month to learn how to be a woodpecker.

• Old nest cavities attract small songbirds such as nuthatches, chickadees, and swallows, making it a keystone species of the forest ecosystem.

• Can be a natural pesticide, since it eats the larvae of bark beetles and gypsy moths which can fatally damage trees.