Bad bird photo: male hairy woodpecker

Bad bird photo: male hairy woodpecker

The hairy woodpecker looks quite a bit like the downy woodpecker. Their markings are very similar, but If they were side-by-side it would be easy to tell them apart — the hairy woodpecker is much larger (about 9” long, compared to the downy at 6”). Aside from that, the hairy woodpecker has this long beak and the markings on its head are very clearly defined (the downy’s beak is short and its markings almost looks scraggly).

Yes, I know this hairy woodpecker’s head is out of focus. These guys move fast when they are eating!

See the original on Flickr.