![]() ![]() The specific epithet pubescens is the Latin for "pubescent" or "downy". When in 1766 the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus updated his Systema Naturae for the twelfth edition, he included the downy woodpecker, coined the binomial name Picus pubescens and cited Catesby's book. The downy woodpecker was described and illustrated with a hand-coloured plate by the English naturalist Mark Catesby in his The Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands, which was published between 17. The downy woodpecker is very similar in appearance to the hairy woodpecker, although they are not closely related. ![]() The bird nests in tree cavities and feeds primarily on insects, although it supplements its diet with seeds and berries. Downy woodpeckers primarily live in forested areas throughout the United States and Canada, with the exception of deserts in the southwest and the northern tundra. Length ranges from 14 to 18 cm (5.5 to 7.1 in). The downy woodpecker ( Dryobates pubescens) is a species of woodpecker, the smallest in North America. Please consider expanding the lead to provide an accessible overview of all important aspects of the article. Gayle Carlyle is a volunteer with the Couchiching Conservancy.This article's lead section may be too short to adequately summarize the key points. Next time you’re enjoying the outdoors, see what other animal activities you can spot that indicate spring is not far away. We can thank the wildlife around us for the reminder that warmer weather is around the corner. Squirrels have also begun to produce young, hidden away in warm nests, usually in tree cavities. Birds aren’t the only creatures getting an early jump on the warmer season. If you listen closely to chickadees this time of year, along with their familiar “chick-a-dee-dee-dee” call, they also start singing a soft “fee-bee-bee.” This is the male bird, establishing his territory. When the two birds finally approach one another, they perform specialized flight displays in which they strike their wings against their sides to produce a clapping sound, or flutter their wings like hovering butterflies. The drumming by both sexes may go on for days or even weeks. The hairy’s drumming is slightly lower in pitch than the downy’s.Īn interested female will announce her presence by drumming back to her chosen mate. The male hairy will start drumming on a favorite post, usually a dead tree or branch, to announce that he has established his territory and to attract any females in the area for mating. The drumming serves as a means of communication between the pair as well. Downy woodpeckerĪs early as February or March a downy woodpecker pair indicate that they are occupying their nesting site by flying around it and by drumming short, fast tattoos with their bills on dry branches or other resonant objects scattered about the territory. Their preferred habitat is a large, mature forest with dead or dying trees. A mated pair of pileated woodpeckers can be seen together in their established territory, looking for food and a suitable location to drill out a nest cavity.Ī pair stays bonded throughout the year and will defend their large territory year-round as well. ![]() This drumming (loud, repetitive hammering on hollow tree trunks and branches that tends to trail off) may go on for hours as the male flies around his territory. In late winter or early spring, male pileated woodpeckers will begin to drum for females. Woodpeckers are known for their loud, “rat-a-tat” hammering or drumming, which they use as a means of communication. The downy is the smallest, while the hairy is slightly bigger, and the remarkable pileated quite a bit larger than either-about the size of a crow. We have three common species of woodpeckers in our area through the winter: downy, hairy, and pileated. The easiest way to discover the earliest signs of spring is with our feathered friends and in particular the lively woodpeckers. These two species prefer moist soil conditions such as wetlands and edges of creeks and streams. ![]() Watch for this change to begin in a few weeks. This winter seems to have been a long, cold, and snowy one with many of us yearning for signs of spring.Īlthough it may seem like not much is happening in our natural world, subtle changes are taking place as plants and animals get ready for the warmer and sunnier summer.įor example, red maples and silver maples have round clusters of red buds that start to swell in late winter and turn a stunning shade of bright red. ![]()
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