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Henry Sowell

Vol. I · Est. 2026

Pl. IX
Field-journal plate: Downy Woodpecker
The Downy Woodpecker plate as rendered on the e-ink frame
As rendered on the frame

The Birds · Plate IX

Downy Woodpecker

Dryobates pubescens

Picidae · Taxon 792988

Length5.5–6.7 in (14–17 cm)
Wingspan9.8–11.8 in (25–30 cm)
Weight0.7–1.0 oz (21–28 g)

Field marks

  1. Small, compact woodpecker with a blocky head and a notably short, straight chisel-like bill.
  2. Bold black-and-white head stripes frame a dark eye.
  3. Broad white stripe runs down the center of the black back.
  4. Black wings are conspicuously checkered and spotted white.
  5. White outer tail feathers usually show small black spots; males have a small red patch on the nape, while females lack it.

HabitatOpen deciduous woodland and wooded edges; also uses orchards, parks, gardens, and other tree-rich areas, especially where dead limbs or trunks provide foraging and nest-cavity sites.

BehaviorActive bark forager that moves over trunks, limbs, and weed stems, bracing with stiff tail feathers; often excavates or probes for insects and flies in an undulating, rising-and-falling pattern.

Palette

blackwhitesoft graycharcoal grayred (male nape)