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Science and Nature
KAXE Morning Show

Pam Perry's guide to woodpeckers, flocks and frogs in August

By Charlie Mitchell
Published August 19, 2024 at 3:07 PM CDT
A Downy Woodpecker visits a suet feeder in St. Louis County on Nov. 15, 2018. It is a small black-and-white woodpecker with a small red dot on the back of its head.
Contributed
/
Courtney Celley/USFWS
A Downy Woodpecker visits a suet feeder in St. Louis County on Nov. 15, 2018.

Pam Perry, our favorite retired non-game wildlife biologist, stops by each month to talk about Minnesota phenology with our staff phenologist, John Latimer.

As the summer season begins turning to autumn, Pam Perry joined The Morning Show to talk about the wildlife she's watching. Enjoy a deep-dive into common woodpecker species below!

Topics

  • Introduction (0:00-0:18) 
  • Hairy and Downy Woodpecker markings (0:18-1:43) 
  • Grackles and Red-winged Blackbirds (1:43-2:50) 
  • Purple Finches and House Finches (2:50-6:44) 
  • Rose-breasted Grosbeaks and orioles (6:46-8:28, 9:06-9:25) 
  • Bird song quieting down (8:28-9:06) 
  • Ruby-throated Hummingbirds (9:06-11:09) 
  • Sphinx moths and bumblebees (11:09-13:15) 
  • Frogs (13:15-14:29) 
  • House Wrens (14:29-15:50) 
  • Conclusion (15:50-16:35)

What kind of woodpecker is that?

Do you know how to tell a Hairy Woodpecker from a Downy or distinguish a juvenile woodpecker from an adult? Pam Perry has the answers.

Our familiar friends the Downy and Hairy Woodpecker are common visitors to backyard feeders and urban trees year-round. If you have a wooded area or park nearby, you likely have some of them around.

Need a mnemonic to help you remember the size difference? DOWNY Woodpeckers are the DOWNSIZED versions.

Telling a Downy Woodpecker from a Hairy Woodpecker takes some time — they look incredibly similar, though they are different sizes. If they’re right next to each other, it’s easy-peasy: the Hairy Woodpecker is much bigger. The Downy is just a bit bigger than a nuthatch or chickadee.

If the two species aren’t side-by-side, the work gets a bit harder. The trick is in the bill — Downy Woodpeckers have shorter, thinner bills than Hairy Woodpeckers. Here’s a graphic showing the difference:

A graphic compares the bill length of Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers. There are size bars superimposed on profile images of both birds, showing the length of the bill (measured from the tip of the bill to the front of the face), and from the face to the back of the eye. The Downy Woodpecker's bill is shorter than the distance from the face to the back of the eye, while the Hairy Woodpecker's bill is the same length or a bit longer. The two birds are also shown side by side for size comparison. Underneath the graphic, text reads "Hairy Woodpeckers are big with long beaks in proportion to their head size. Downy Woodpeckers are downsized, with relatively shorter beaks."
Charlie Mitchell. Original photography by Courtney Celley/USFWS.
/
KAXE
A graphic compares the bill length of Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers and explains key identification features.

How old is that woodpecker?

Male woodpeckers also make it easier to identify their age. They have red markings, both as juveniles and adults. Adult males have a red dot on the back of their heads, while juvenile males sport a red dot on their foreheads or crowns. Females do not have any red on their plumage.

We’re only a minute and 43 seconds into the episode, and I’ve already learned so much! Listen above for more.

Were these images helpful? Let me know at cmitchell@kaxe.com, or text us at 218-326-1234.

For more phenology, <b class="rte2-style-bold">subscribe</b> to our Season Watch Newsletter or visit the Season Watch Facebook page.

Funding for this project was provided by the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund as recommended by the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR).

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Charlie Mitchell
Charlie Mitchell (she/they) joined KAXE in February of 2022. Charlie creates the Season Watch Newsletter, produces the Phenology Talkbacks show, coordinates the Phenology in the Classroom program, and writes nature-related stories for KAXE's website. Essentailly, Charlie is John Latimer's faithful sidekick and makes sure all of KAXE's nature/phenology programs find a second life online and in podcast form.<br/><br/><br/>With a background in ecology and evolutionary biology, Charlie enjoys learning a little bit about everything, whether it's plants, mushrooms, or the star-nosed mole. (Fun fact: Moles store fat in their tails, so they don't outgrow their tunnels every time conditions are good.)
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