Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Downy Woodpecker

By: Tom Berg

One of the most recognizable birds that visit back yard bird feeders year-round is the Downy Woodpecker. These miniature woodpeckers are only slightly larger than sparrows and are definitely smaller than robins. Their starkly contrasting black and white feathers make them easy to identify as they flit through the tree branches. Males have a bright red patch of feathers on the back of their heads.

Although these small woodpeckers do eat seeds and berries, they much prefer insects. In fact, bugs make up about 75% of their diet. Of course, during the winter insects are very hard to find, so the downy woodpecker looks for its second-favorite food: suet. Bird watchers often offer suet cakes at their back yard feeders specifically to attract woodpeckers like the cute little downy. Sometimes these small woodpeckers are even seen drinking from hummingbird feeders!

During the warm weather months, downy woodpeckers find most of their insect prey hiding on or under tree bark. Spiders, beetles, ants and caterpillars are typical food items. The little downy also takes advantage of its small size by feeding where larger woodpeckers cannot go, like on thin weed stalks. Plant galls which hide insect larva are favorite targets of these active little birds.

Downy woodpeckers usually make their nests in holes in trees. Sometimes they reuse existing, abandoned holes, and sometimes they excavate new holes. Although dead trees are usually chosen for the nest site, they are not afraid to chip out a hole in a dead branch of a live tree.

Contrary to popular belief, when downy woodpeckers (almost all woodpeckers, really) make that distinctive drumming sound against the side of a tree, they are not drilling for insects. They are actually signaling and communicating with other woodpeckers nearby. Sometimes these woodpeckers can even be seen or heard hammering away at the metal or brick siding of buildings. They are not crazy – they are simply talking with their friends.

So the next time you hear the familiar drumming of a woodpecker, look up and say hello!

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