How do you tell the difference between a hairy woodpecker and a downy woodpecker?

How do you tell the difference between a hairy woodpecker and a downy woodpecker?

On the hairy woodpecker, the outer feathers are pure white. On the downy, there are usually black or gray spots along the sides of the white outer tail feathers. You can just make out the dark spots on the side of the downy woodpecker's tail in the photo above. Their calls distinguish them also.

Are downy and hairy woodpeckers related?

Hairy Woodpeckers are more closely related to the very different-looking White-headed and Red-cockaded Woodpeckers, while Downy's closest relatives are Ladder-backed and Nuttall's. This suggests that Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers look like one another for reasons other than common ancestry.

What does a female hairy woodpecker look like?

Female (Rocky Mts.) Medium-sized woodpecker with a white patch down its back. Females look like males without the red crown patch. Birds in the interior West have nearly solid black wings and narrower facial stripes than those East of the Rockies.

What does it mean when you see a downy woodpecker?

The woodpecker meaning encourages you to strike a balance between being kind and being cautious. It symbolizes the need to understand different rhythms, patterns, and cycles, and to do your best to adapt to them and flourish. It represents warnings and prophecies, and the need to be connected with the earth.