Hairy Woodpecker Photo Gallery
Male (Eastern)
A medium-sized woodpecker with a long bill. Male has red on the back of the head. "Eastern" Hairy Woodpecker has extensive white spotting on the wings.
© Matthew Plante / Macaulay LibraryOhio, February 01, 2021Female (Rocky Mts.)
Medium-sized woodpecker with a white patch down its back. Female lacks male's red on the head. "Rocky Mts." Hairy Woodpecker, found across much of the western U.S. (and into British Columbia), has mostly black wings.
© Mason Maron / Macaulay LibraryWashington, October 06, 2019Adult male at nest
Hollows out a nest in a live or dead tree. Both males and females feed young soft-bodied insects.
© Timothy Barksdale / Macaulay LibraryNew York, May 01, 2004Not all videos have soundFemale (Eastern)
Typically hitches up tree trunks or along large branches, leaning back against stiff tail feathers and springing upward with both feet at once.
© Dominique Genna / Macaulay LibraryQuebec, February 22, 2014Male (Pacific)
"Pacific" Hairy Woodpecker is darker than "Rocky Mts." and "Eastern" groups, with light brownish underparts and mostly black wings.
© Anthony Gliozzo / Macaulay LibraryWashington, February 17, 2020Juvenile (Pacific)
Juvenile male (in all subspecies groups) has a red crown patch.
© John F. Gatchet / Macaulay LibraryWashington, July 16, 2017Adult (Costa Rican)
"Costa Rican" Hairy Woodpecker from the highlands of eastern Costa Rica and western Panama has cinnamon underparts.
© Carlos Bolaños / Macaulay LibrarySan José, December 28, 2019Female (Eastern)
In flight, "Eastern" Hairy Woodpecker has extensive white spotting on the black upperwings.
© Serg Tremblay / Macaulay LibraryQuebec, December 30, 2020Male (Eastern) (with Downy Woodpecker)
Hairy Woodpecker is larger than Downy Woodpecker, with a proportionally longer bill and unmarked white outer tail feathers.
© Pat Schiller / Macaulay LibraryOntario, October 23, 2020Habitat
Found in in woodlots, suburbs, parks, and cemeteries, as well as forest edges, open pine-oak woodlands, recently burned forests, and stands infested by bark beetles.
© Tim Lenz / Macaulay LibraryNew York, October 04, 2015Compare with Similar Species
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Species in This Family
Woodpeckers(Order: Piciformes, Family: Picidae)
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