Downy woodpecker

The downy woodpecker is the smallest woodpecker in Manitoba, about the size of a house sparrow, and one of the friendliest at a feeder. It clings to a suet cake or a snowy post with a tiny, chisel-shaped bill, tapping and pausing to look around. It is easy to mistake for the larger hairy woodpecker, but the downy’s short bill, barely a third the length of its head, gives it away.

Downy woodpeckers stay in Manitoba all year, living in deciduous woods, river valleys, shelterbelts, and town yards. Males have a small red patch on the back of the head, while females are plain black and white. They pick insects and larvae from small branches and weed stalks, and in winter they come to suet and sunflower seeds. In spring, listen for their soft, rapid drumming on a branch.

Female downy woodpecker perched on a snow-covered branch among crabapples

Photos

  • Female downy woodpecker perched on a branch with a short bill
  • Close-up of a downy woodpecker at a suet cake
  • Downy woodpecker clinging to a snowy post in falling snow

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