pcon2009 Posted November 30, 2019 Share Posted November 30, 2019 I often see Downy woodpeckers at my suet feeders, so I have a pretty good handle of what they look like. I have only seen what I think is their larger cousin the Hairy woodpecker on two occasions, at Silver Creek Metro Park in Ohio. However, I am not 100% sure these were in fact hairy. Thoughts? (Pictures posted from two dates both around a year ago). 11-22-18, Female Hairy? 12-30-18, Male Hairy? 12-30-18, Female Hairy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Spencer Posted November 30, 2019 Share Posted November 30, 2019 I like Hairy for all three, although I'm not as certain about the first one as I am of the last two. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HamRHead Posted November 30, 2019 Share Posted November 30, 2019 45 minutes ago, Charlie Spencer said: I like Hairy for all three, although I'm not as certain about the first one as I am of the last two. Agreed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Posted November 30, 2019 Share Posted November 30, 2019 Agreed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlexHenry Posted November 30, 2019 Share Posted November 30, 2019 Clean white on the outer tail feathers visible on the latter two birds is a definitive mark for Hairy. Size and proportions are a bit easier to judge in real life than in pictures, but these are all Hairy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pcon2009 Posted December 2, 2019 Author Share Posted December 2, 2019 Thanks! I felt the same, the first one was the one I was least certain about, but I usually find that the downies I see at my suet feeders stay pretty true to the 1:2 ratio of beak length to head length, but as these are the first pictures I have taken of what I presumed to be hairies I was basing that on the theory that they are more often closer to 1:1 on the beak-to-head ratio. The white on the tail feathers is something I am aware of but have always had trouble understanding exactly what to look for. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlexHenry Posted December 3, 2019 Share Posted December 3, 2019 7 hours ago, pcon2009 said: The white on the tail feathers is something I am aware of but have always had trouble understanding exactly what to look for. Downy Woodpeckers tend to have a couple small black spots on the white outer tail feathers: While Hairies do not, as seen in your pictures: 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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