6.75 inches long. The Downy Woodpecker is a very small woodpecker with a short bill. The crown is black. The face is white with a broad black stripe behind the eye and a black moustache. The nape is black and the back is white and the rump is black. The wings are black with white spots. The underparts are white. The tail is black with white outer tails feathers with black bars. The adult male has a red patch on the nape while this red patch is not present in the female.
The Downy Woodpecker is a common year round resident that breeds in the Forest.
The Downy Woodpecker is one of the most widespread woodpeckers in North America. It is equally at home in urban woodlots or wilderness forests and readily visits backyard bird feeders where it will take seeds and fruit and suet. It primarily feeds on insects. Males tend to forage more on smaller branches, while females forage more on larger branches and trunks of trees. Its common name was derived from a reference to the soft downy white feathers on the lower back. This is in contrast to the similar, but more hairlike feathers on the lower back white stripe on the Hairy Woodpecker. One of the calls is a downslurred high pitched whinny. Another call is a short flat “pik”.
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