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#17 - The Downy Woodpecker

The Downy Woodpecker, Picoides pubescens, is the smallest woodpecker in North America.
At 7 in/18 cm long, it is just a bit larger than the common house sparrow.

The Downy Woodpecker has black wings with specks of white on them. Its back and underside are both white and the head is black and white. Both sexes like to drum on tree trunks and limbs announcing their presence and territory.


The male Downy Woodpecker (right) is easy to spot with a splash of red on the back of its head. The young (left) stay in the nest for about three weeks. They are tended by both the male and female. Insects and larvae make up most of the diet of the Downy, but seeds, nuts, berries and snails are also consumed.
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Except for the deserts of the American Southwest, the Downy Woodpecker is found just about everywhere trees are found, from the northern tree line south to Mexico.

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