Hairy Woodpecker 1/13/10
These were a comical pair, well not exactly a pair since both are males, but they did dance around each other for quite a while so who knows. Hard to say whether it was aggressive or playful behavior, but there was a bit of ritual about it. They always seemed to keep a certain distance from each other as they circled about this white pine trunk, if one went around one way, the other followed, but if he went back, so did the other. Hairies are much larger than their lookalike cousins the Downy Woodpecker, and are year round residents all across North America. Females have no red on the head while juvenile males have red on top of the head instead of the back. Fetched in Kittery Point, ME.
JayJay said,
January 15, 2010 @ 4:12 pm
Do these little guys scale trees? I saw something in the maple tree today today, and there was a distinct tuft of red with the black and white. Adorable.
I’m learning so much here!
JayJay
admin said,
January 21, 2010 @ 10:24 am
Thing to watch out for is that Downy Woodpeckers (5-6″) have the same b&w colorings with red on the males as Hairy Woodpeckers. But Hairies are bigger (7-8″), with proportionately bigger bills and more feathers around the base of the bill (the hairy part).