Downy woodpecker

These small woodpeckers (15-17 cm long) have a straight, chisel-like bill, blocky head, wide shoulders, and straight-backed posture as they lean away. The bill tends to look smaller for the bird’s size than in other woodpeckers. The black upper parts are checked with white on the wings, the head is boldly striped, and the back has a broad white stripe down the center. Males have a small red patch on the back of the head. Juvenile birds display a red cap.

This small woodpecker balances on tiny branches, slender plant galls, sycamore seed balls, and suet feeders. They mainly eat insects, seeds and berries and like suet a lot. When they peck on trees, they make a drumming sound. Males feed more high in trees and females tend to feed from the middle of a tree on down. If a female tries to feed higher, the male will often chase her back to the lower levels.

The female usually selects a nest site in a dead tree or branch, but the male mainly excavates the cavity. Their 3-6 eggs hatch in just under two weeks. Fledged young stay with the adults for the first few weeks. More than one brood may be raised in a breeding season.