Sunday, February 26, 2012

Hairy Woodpecker




More woodpeckers at the suet block. Today I was sitting at the computer, with the camera nearby, when this male Hairy Woodpecker showed up. It was really windy yesterday and he kept hanging out on the opposite side of the feeder until finally the wind slowly spun him around so I could get some pictures. The Hairy Woodpecker looks so much like the Downy Woodpecker (female pictured below) and without seeing them nearly side by side you would have a hard time telling the two apart. The Sibley Guide to Birds show the difference as mainly their size, the Hairy is 9.25" with a longer beak while the Downy is only 6.75" with a conspicuous tuft at the base of their beak.


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