More Help Identifying Young Woodpeckers

I posted recently about identifying young woodpeckers in "Welcome to the World, Young Woodpeckers!"  Here's more hints on what to look in identifying immature woodpeckers.

Folks often come into the store saying they saw an "itty-bitty baby" woodpecker at the feeder.  However, most fledgling birds (and especially cavity-nesting birds like woodpeckers) are about the same size as their parents (and oftentimes even bigger) by the time they intentionally emerge from the nest.  So the size of the bird is not necessarily an indicator that you have a baby bird around.

But there are other things you can look for to help distinguish fledgling and immature woodpeckers from their parents.  One thing to look for is the quality of the plumage. During nest-building, egg-laying, incubating eggs, and brooding and feeding of nestlings, woodpecker parents literally make hundreds of entrances and exits through the nest hole.  This understandably causes wear and tear on the feathers of the adult.  As a result, you might see torn and ruffled feathers that give the parents a disheveled look.  You might also notice a slight discoloration of their lighter feathers, like they were dipped in coffee (Bird Friendly® coffee, of course!) 

The newly fledged or immature bird, in contrast, can look bright and shiny in comparison.  They just look like a brand new bird!  Their feathers may look a little fluffy, especially around the head.

Adult woodpeckers tending to a nest also commit an extraordinary amount of physical resources to the process and can themselves become noticeably thinner, even to the point of looking smaller than the young birds.  I especially notice this around the neck, shoulders, and/or breast of the adult bird.

On an extremely rainy day last week, I captured these images of a female adult Hairy Woodpecker (on right) feeding an immature female (on left).  Though the quality of the image is not ideal (dark dreary day; photo taken through triple-pane glass), I think it really shows off the differences between the immature and adult bird.  Click on the image to enlarge and look for the whiter and neater body feathers and the downy, fluffy head feathers on the immature birds on the left.  And note the worn feathers and thinner look to the adult bird on the right.

This next picture was taken at Chenango Valley State Park that I think shows well the thinness of the adult male bird, especially noticeable around the neck area.

The nesting season is a perfect time to learn more about birds by noticing the sometimes subtle differences between birds.  Have fun honing your powers of observation!

Comments

[The Zen Birdfeeder]

LNMP - They ARE clumsy!
Larry - thanks much. It's amazing how thin that bird looks, isn't it?

[Larry Jordan]

Great informative post on the young woodpeckers Nancy! Nice captures of the Hairy Woodpecker in various states of condition. I really like the last photo at the nest entrance. It's amazing what a few weeks of hard work raising young can do to a bird isn't it?

[LNMP]

You can watch the behavior of the birds, too. As I read your post, a fledgling Hairy Woodpecker outside my window was making quite a racket as it waited for its parent to return with a mouthful of suet. Young woodpeckers are also clumsy; they often have difficulty landing or reaching a specific target (e.g., a bird feeder).