Downy Woodpecker
Picoides pubescens

Description: The Downy Woodpecker is a small black and white woodpecker with a short bill. Its back is black with a white center stripe and its wings are black with white spots. It has a black head with white stripes above and below the eyes, and white nasal tufts at the base of its bill. The male has a red “cap” on the back of his head.

Size: The Downy Woodpecker is the smallest North American species of woodpecker. This species is 6 to 6.5 inches long with a 10-12 inch wingspan. It weighs a little less than 1 ounce.

Adaptations:
• The Downy Woodpecker has a long barbed tongue that probes crevices and cracks in trees. Its salivary glands produce a glue-like substance that coats the tongue and allows it to catch insects.

• Woodpeckers have special feet, with two toes pointing forward and two toes pointing backward, that help them to grip the side of a tree.

• The strong head and neck muscles of woodpeckers enable them to peck at the side of a tree without injuring themselves. The tuft of feathers covering the nostrils keeps out dust and splinters formed by pecking at wood.

Diet: In the wild, Downy Woodpeckers eat primarily insects, but also seeds, grains, suet, sap, and wild fruit. At Cosley Zoo, the woodpecker is fed fruits, greens, sunflower seeds, dog food, and mealworms.

Reproduction: The nest of the Downy Woodpecker consists of a hole in a tree that is lined with wood chips. The woodpeckers patrol the nest by flying around it and drumming on it with their wings. The female enters the nest to lay 4 or 5 eggs, which she will incubate during the day. At night, the male will sleep on the nest while the female sleeps elsewhere. They will share responsibility for incubating the eggs for 12 days, until the eggs hatch. After the chicks are hatched, the parents will bring food until the fledglings are old enough to be out on their own, about 18-21 days later.

Shelter and space needs: These birds mainly live in forest edges, but also inhabit woodlands, parks, and gardens.

Life expectancy: Unknown.

Importance to man: Downy Woodpeckers eat many insects that people consider to be pests. They also play an important role in the ecosystem as a food source for many predators, such as hawks and owls.

Fun Facts:
• The male Downy Woodpecker is larger than the female. Since the male's bill is longer and stronger, it pries deep into the wood of the tree for insects while the female uses her shorter bill to pry under the bark. Because of this, woodpecker pairs are able to share food resources without competing with each other.

• Woodpeckers are able to hammer into wood at the rate of 100 blows per minute!

• Have you ever wondered why woodpeckers don't get a headache from all that pounding? Their skulls are similar to football helmets, with thick bones and cartilage that acts as a shock absorber by filling the extra space in the skull and keeping the brain from moving around inside.

• A woodpecker's tongue has to be very long to probe trees for insects. The tongue is at least twice the length of the bill! The tongue fits back inside the woodpecker's body by curling around the head between the skull and the skin.