156/366 | Hairy?
The Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers are strikingly similar. Three main differences are the size of the beak, overall bird size, and tail feathers. The Hairy has a long beak, the Downy a short beak. The Hairy is about 9-1/2" in length compared to the Downy's 6-1/2" length. The Downy's white tail feathers are marked with black bars; the Hairy's is pure white. Looking at this particular bird, the beak appears quite long in proportion to his face, making me think it's a Hairy. But I'm noticing black bars on the tail feathers. Ugh. Unless the two are side-by-side, it's really difficult to tell these cousins apart. Thus the question mark.
400mm | f/7.1 | ISO 640 | 1/400 sec
Keywords:
backyard birds,
birding,
birds,
downy woodpecker,
hairy woodpecker,
nature,
project 365,
project 366,
wildlife,
woodpecker
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© Gail A. Dixon