Hairy Woodpecker
Dryobates villosus

Hairy Woodpeckers are year-round residents of mature forested areas over most of North America, from Alaska to the Canadian Maritime Provinces and south through the mountain zones of Mexico and Central America. I’ve enjoyed meeting these birds in Alaska, Alberta (Canada), Oregon, California and New Mexico.
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.
Some authorities use the old genus Picoides to describe this bird. Others place these birds in the genus Leuconotopicus. Taxonomists recognise seventeen subspecies, while others divide the Hairy Woodpecker into 21 subspecies. Still others argue for only 14 or 15 subspecies. According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, there are 15 subspecies divided into five groups.
- Eastern Group
- D. v. septentrionalis, D. v. villosus, D. v. audubonii, D. v. terraenovae, D. v. piger, and D. v. maynardi.
- Lives in Alaska, western Canada, Rocky Mountains, Dakotas, Texas, Missouri, Virginia, Illinois, the Gulf Coast, Newfoundland, and the Bahamas.
- Pacific Group
- D. v. sitkensis, D. v. picoideus, D. v. harrisi, and D. v. hyloscopus.
- Lives in the coastal zone from southeast Alaska to Baja California (Mexico).
- Rocky Mountain Group
- D. v. orius, and D. v. icastus.
- Lives in British Columbia (Canada) to southeast California, west Texas, southeast Arizona, southwest New Mexico and west Mexico.
- South Mexican Group
- D. v. jardinii, and D. v. sanctorum.
- Lives in eastern and southern Mexico.
- Costa Rican Group
- D. v. extimus.
- Lives in Costa Rica and Panama.
During my travels, I’ve enjoyed meetings with this species in southern California, Oregon, New Mexico, and Alaska. More recently, I found them in western Canada during a two-month visit there in 2022.
20 Photos

Hairy Woodpecker(Leuconotopicus villosus) |
Description: Checking the nest hole at William Heise Park on the western slopes of the Laguna Mountains near Julian. San Diego County, California. |
Date Taken: 2011:06:28 10:24 |
Location:
William Heise Park |
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/40 |
File Name: JCD0347-HairyWoodPecker |
© 2011 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Hairy Woodpecker(Leuconotopicus villosus) |
Description: Saskatoon Lake, Alberta, Canada. |
Date Taken: 2005:06:03 5:45 |
Location:
Lake Saskatoon |
Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 550 mm, f/5.6, 1/250 |
File Name: JCD3210HairyWoodpecker |
© 2005 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Hairy Woodpecker(Leuconotopicus villosus) |
Description: Saskatoon Lake, Alberta, Canada. |
Date Taken: 2005:06:03 5:45 |
Location:
Lake Saskatoon |
Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 550 mm, f/5.6, 1/100 |
File Name: JCD3215HairyWoodpecker |
© 2005 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Hairy Woodpecker(Leuconotopicus villosus) |
Description: Saskatoon Lake, Alberta, Canada. |
Date Taken: 2005:06:03 5:59 |
Location:
Lake Saskatoon |
Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 550 mm, f/5.6, 1/60 |
File Name: JCD3217HairyWoodpecker |
© 2005 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Hairy Woodpecker(Leuconotopicus villosus) |
Description: A bird I met at the Springs on Santa Rosa Mountain, Southern Riverside County, California USA 2010-08-13. |
Date Taken: 2010:08:12 18:07 |
Location:
Santa Rosa Mountain |
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/6.3, 1/60 |
File Name: JCD5364.HairyWoodPecker |
© 2010 - Jack Daynes - shadeTree Imaging |


Hairy Woodpecker(Leuconotopicus villosus) |
Description: Petersville Road, from Trapper Creek, Alaska towards Denali. |
Date Taken: 2005:07:07 15:21 |
Location:
Petersville Road |
Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 550 mm, f/5.6, 1/160 |
File Name: JCD7720HairyWoodpecker |
© 2005 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Hairy Woodpecker(Leuconotopicus villosus) |
Description: A bird I met at the Waterhole on Santa Rosa Mountain, Southern Riverside County, California USA 2004-07-31. |
Date Taken: 2004:07:30 17:31 |
Location:
Santa Rosa Mountain |
Camera Information: NIKON D1X, 550 mm, f/8.0, 1/60 |
File Name: JCD_7589HairyWoodpecker |
© 2011 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging.com |


Hairy Woodpecker(Leuconotopicus villosus) |
Description: The springs on Santa Rosa Mountain, at 7500 feet elevation in southern Riverside County, California. |
Date Taken: 2016:08:31 10:50 |
Location:
Santa Rosa Mountain |
Camera Information: NIKON D7200, 550 mm, f/8.0, 1/1000 |
File Name: D724537-HairyWoodPecker |
© 2016 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Hairy Woodpecker(Leuconotopicus villosus) |
Description: One of the meetings I had travelling along the Siskiyou Summit Road (FS-20) between Ashland and Applegate. |
Date Taken: 2019:08:06 11:32 |
Location:
Siskiyou Summit |
Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/7.1, 1/400 |
File Name: HairyWoodpecker_D5X0314-SiskiyouSummit |
© 2019 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Hairy Woodpecker(Leuconotopicus villosus) |
Description: Meetings along the Siskiyou Summit Road (FS-20) between Ashland and Applegate. |
Date Taken: 2019:08:06 11:32 |
Location:
Siskiyou Summit |
Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/7.1, 1/500 |
File Name: HairyWoodpecker_D5X0311-SiskiyouSummit |
© 2019 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Hairy Woodpecker(Leuconotopicus villosus) |
Description: The springs on Santa Rosa Mountain, at 7500 feet elevation in southern Riverside County, California. |
Date Taken: 2016:08:31 10:50 |
Location:
Santa Rosa Mountain |
Camera Information: NIKON D7200, 550 mm, f/8.0, 1/1000 |
File Name: D724539-HairyWoodPecker |
© 2016 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Hairy Woodpecker(Leuconotopicus villosus) |
Description: Along Morris Creek in Garner Valley. Riverside County, California. |
Date Taken: 2014:10:23 7:59 |
Location:
Garner Valley |
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/1000 |
File Name: D3X1405-HairyWoodPecker |
© 2014 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging.com |


Hairy Woodpecker(Leuconotopicus villosus) |
Description: Agua Dulce Creek, near the Sunrise Highway, South Of Julian, California. San Diego, California. |
Date Taken: 2013:08:09 11:13 |
Location:
Agua Dulce Creek |
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/400 |
File Name: D3X1341-HairyWoodPecker |
© 2013 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Hairy Woodpecker(Dryobates villosus) |
Description: Shortly before I finished my stay, a Hairy Woodpecker flew in to grab a snack. I drove to the Sandia Crest (elevation 10,600') outside of Albuquerque, to discover what high elevation birds I might encounter. |
Date Taken: 2020:12:16 13:05 |
Location:
Sandia Crest |
Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/2000 |
File Name: HairyWoodpecker_D5X7562-SandiaCrest |
© 2020 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Hairy Woodpecker(Dryobates villosus) |
Description: In 2005, I visited Fort Nelson’s Fort Nelson Demonstration Forest and met my first Yellow-Bellied Sapsuckers. Now in 2022, one of the birds that cooperated with my efforts to gather images was this Hairy Woodpecker. |
Date Taken: 2022:06:05 8:48 |
Location:
Fort Nelson Demonstration Forest |
Camera Information: NIKON D850, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/500 |
File Name: HairyWoodpecker_8507076-FortNelson.BC_ |
© 2022 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Hairy Woodpecker(Dryobates villosus) |
Description: In 2005, I visited Fort Nelson’s Fort Nelson Demonstration Forest and met my first Yellow-Bellied Sapsuckers. Now in 2022, one of the birds that cooperated with my efforts to gather images was this Hairy Woodpecker. |
Date Taken: 2022:06:05 8:49 |
Location:
Fort Nelson Demonstration Forest |
Camera Information: NIKON D850, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/640 |
File Name: HairyWoodpecker_8507141-FortNelson.BC_ |
© 2022 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Hairy Woodpecker(Dryobates villosus) |
Description: Hairy Woodpeckers shared this woodland with Yellow-Bellied Sapsuckers. The best location in Fort Nelson to meet birds is Demonstration Forest at the northwest corner of town. |
Date Taken: 2022:06:24 11:17 |
Location:
Fort Nelson Demonstration Forest |
Camera Information: NIKON D850, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/500 |
File Name: HairyWoodpecker_8504228-FortNelson.BC_ |
© 2022 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Hairy Woodpecker(Dryobates villosus) |
Description: Hairy Woodpeckers shared this woodland with Yellow-Bellied Sapsuckers. The best location in Fort Nelson to meet birds is Demonstration Forest at the northwest corner of town. |
Date Taken: 2022:06:24 11:17 |
Location:
Fort Nelson Demonstration Forest |
Camera Information: NIKON D850, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/500 |
File Name: HairyWoodpecker_8504239-FortNelson.BC_ |
© 2022 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Hairy Woodpecker(Dryobates villosus) |
Description: The Boreal Center for Bird Conservation at the edge of Lesser Slave Lake is one of my favorite places in Canada for meeting spring warblers. Woodpeckers were nice to see too. |
Date Taken: 2022:07:06 10:34 |
Location:
Boreal Centre For Bird Conservat |
Camera Information: NIKON D850, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/2500 |
File Name: HairyWoodpecker_8509451-LesserSlaveLake.BorealBirdCentre |
© 2022 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Hairy Woodpecker(Leuconotopicus villosus) |
Description: The Springs at Santa Rosa Mountain. Riverside County, California. |
Date Taken: 2014:06:07 9:37 |
Location:
Santa Rosa Mountain |
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/640 |
File Name: D3X5728-HairyWoodPecker |
© 2014 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging.com |

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