Hairy Woodpecker
Piocodes villosus
As I write this it is late January and early February of 2011. The weather has been cold and snowy and the feeder stations have been very busy, as long as I am able to keep them filled.
This is the beginning of a courtship period for Hairy Woodpeckers. Hairy woodpecker pairs are together about 7 months of the year. Early courtship rituals such as drumming and feather displays can start in late December and are usually underway in earnest by February, depending on geographical location. They nest build February-April, breed in April-May, and have fledged young by June. Molting takes place in late June and July and the birds more or less head out on their own by August, not to really think about pairing up again until solstice.
At least one Hairy Woodpecker, a female, is constantly here. The main difference between a male and female appearance is that the males have a red patch on the back of their heads, just like a Downy male.
I have two suet feeders and a variety of other feeders. She likes the suet, and is very patient to share the suet with other species of birds, notably Red and White-breasted Nuthatches, a male Red-bellied Woodpecker, and a couple of pairs of Downy woodpeckers. These birds just take turns at the food. There is no pushing or shoving, but when one gets its fill and leaves, another one is immediately on the suet. Immediately! The only creatures that cause problems are the Blue-Jays who come in as a flock and take over the entire scene, and the red squirrels who have no tolerance of the avian family.
The Hairy is really a fun bird to watch. It is spectacular looking and large. It is as big as a big Blue-Jay and about twice the size of the Downy, which are more common and plentiful. In fact the only noticeable difference between the Hairy and the Downy is the size, as the plumage of both is nearly identical. However, the two birds are not closely related. These two are examples of what is called “convergent evolution”. I have not been able to find any documentation on why these birds have evolved convergently, and it has been published that because of the considerable size difference between the two species, ecological competition is non existant.
Convergent Evolution: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convergent_evolution
The beak of the Hairy is especially intimidating looking. It is almost as long as its head and it looks fearsome. Chisel like. It has ragged looking feathers all around the edge of the beak, which gives it a, well, hairy look. I might have named it “Bearded woodpecker” had it been up to me. According to Cornell’s Birs of North America Online, the name comes from “the long filamentous white or whitish feathers in the niddle of its back.”
Our Hairy is a strong and powerful looking bird. But it is really graceful and elegant.
It also has strong and powerful looking tail feathers that it uses to brace itself against tree trunks and limbs, and the feeders when it is working on food. I have seen it braced thusly and engaged in a rapid hammering of its beak into the tree trunk looking for food, or, drumming, which is in addition to hacking away at trees to gather food, a territorial and courtship function. This drumming can be very rapid, faster even than one can count.
Hairy Woodpeckers are year round residents (mostly) and generally do not migrate.
They can be found in mature deciduous forests, throughout the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Puerto Rico and Mexico. They are one of the most geographically variable species among North American birds, with variations of size and colors throughout its range. Southern birds are smaller than the northern ones. East of the Rockies they are more white below with spotted wings. Western birds tend to have less spotting and narrow facial stripes. Hairy Woodpeckers in the Pacific Northwest are brown and black rather than white and black. Downy woodpeckers display the same regional differences.
They eat insects, fruits, berries, nuts, and sometimes tree sap. Winter suet full of peanuts and black sunflower oil seem to be favorites.
January 31, 2011. These are "displays"
This dramatic display may be known as bill-waving. It can be conducted by males or females and consists of wavng the bill back and forth, and spreading the tail feathers. While this is most often recognized as a courtship display, it can also be a territorial display, which is what I think was going on here. Sometimes this display is accompanied by a call which is both energetic and resembles a drawn out whinnying of a horse. I noticed it here.
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| I watched this Hairy female display by fanning her tail feathers for a couple of minutes. I couldn't see what she was responding to, although there were a couple of birds around, mostly chickadees, and one male Downy was within 50 feet. And then this male Cardinal, barely visible in this photo (top right), came in right above her and she stretched out her wings, made a loud chirp/whistle/call and the male Cardinal flew away followed directly by her. They flew out of site into the pines. This is the last photo in the sequence. |
UPDATE FEBRUARY 6, 2011
Today both a female Red-bellied Woodpecker and a male Hairy came into the feeders for the first time this winter. (observed time) I took several shots. See the Red-bellied post for the new photos of the female.
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