Hairy Woodpecker

Leuconotopicus villosus

The Hairy Woodpeckers are year-round residents of mature forested areas over most of North America and south through the mountain zones of Mexico and Central America. Some authorities still use the old genus Picoides to describe this bird.

Often confused with the Downy Woodpecker, this bird is larger and has a bill length as long as its head. The Downy Woodpecker’s beak is much shorter. These birds are important players in the control of borers, moths and caterpillars that threaten the health of the woodlands. Their populations have declined slightly because of factors that include clearing of dead trees in forested woods, and displacement from freshly excavated nests by European Starlings and House Sparrows.