Hairy Woodpecker
Picoides villosus

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Aves
Order: Piciformes
Family: Picidae
Genus: Picoides

Audio for Species

Call
Song

from Macaulay Library

Species Related Links

Additional Hairy Woodpecker Pictures

Description

Length: 7.1-10.2 in (18-26 cm) Weight: 1.4-3.4 oz (40-95 g) Wingspan: 13-16.1 in (33-41 cm)

The Hairy is larger with a longer beak than it's lookalike, the Downy. Black wings, shoulders and upper parts with white spots.The tail is black with the outer tail feathers being white with black spots. The Hairy has a broad white stripe down the middle of the back, and the belly, throat and chin are white. The head stripped with black and white. The male supports a bright red marking on the back of their head.

Habitat, Range, and Feeding

Their habitat is open woodlands and mature forests. They nest in dead trees or in dead parts of live trees. The female may begin excavation of the nest and probably selects the site, the male helps build and finish the nest. The nest entrance is about two inches tall and 1.5 inches wide, with the cavity being 8 to 12 inches deep. They can take less than two weeks to build the nest, with only wood chips on the bottom for a bed. The clutch size is 3 to 6 eggs, that are completely white.

The Hairy eats mostly insects, but love suet and sunflower seeds. They enjoy ants and bark beetles. They forage from ground level stumps to upper branches of trees, live or dead limbs or trees. Fruit, seeds, and other plant material compose 22 to 25% of their diet.