Hairy Woodpeckers, by contrast, are a sister to the Arizona Woodpecker and the Mexican endemic Strickland’s Woodpecker. Downy Woodpeckers are probably more closely related to two species of western North America, Nuttall’s Woodpecker and Ladder-backed Woodpecker. Hairy Woodpeckers are about 50% again as big as Downy Woodpeckers, and carry a relatively longer bill.ĭespite their close resemblance of one another, various studies have revealed that these two species are in fact not close relatives of one another. Similar in almost every feature of their plumage, they are most readily distinguishable by their size. The last two species pose a real challenge for many birdwatchers. Chickadees, Tufted Titmice, American Goldfinches, hordes of Blue Jays, a hardy trio of Northern Cardinals, and a rotating cast of Downy Woodpeckers and Hairy Woodpeckers. Then there are the regulars, always present as soon as I fill the feeders in early winter. Dozens of them have been daily at my feeders since before the snow fell, and with the storm of last week they’ve taken to perching on the feeders, a behavior I don’t recall seeing so commonly before. The feeders, though, are comparatively busy: in some winters, I’m visited by hundreds of Common Redpolls, although this year so far has been the year of the Dark-eyed Junco. Just as easily, though, I can spend an hour wandering through the snow in absolute silence the trees seem empty of birdlife. If I’m lucky, I might come across a noisy flock of Golden-crowned Kinglets, Black-capped Chickadees, and Brown Creepers. A walk through my woods in winter, although lovely in its own right, tends to yield fairly few birds. As winter descends and the days become cold and short, most of my birdwatching becomes rather narrowly focused on the feeders outside my front door. Downy Woodpecker by Wolfgang Wander, via Wikimedia Commons. Hairy Woodpecker by User:Mdf (Own work), via Wikimedia Commons.
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