(Picoides pubescens)
Length: 5.5 to 6.7 inches.
Weight: 0.7 to 1 oz.
Wingspan: 9.8 to 11.8 inches.
Lifespan: The oldest known Downy Woodpecker was a male and at least 11 years, 11 months old when he was found in California.
Diet consists mainly of insects, like ants, caterpillars, gall wasps, and beetle larvae found inside wood or tree bark. Many of the insects they eat are pests such as corn earworms, tent caterpillars, bark beetles, and apple borers. Often they eat foods that larger woodpeckers can't reach like insects found on/in the stems of weeds. One example is the galls that form on goldenrod plants which contain fly larvae inside. A fourth of their diet is plant matter such as berries, acorns, and grains.
Downy woodpeckers are also commonly found at bird feeders, eating suet and black oil sunflower seeds. Occasionally they have been seen drinking from hummingbird feeders.
Cavity nesters in dead trees or in dead parts of live trees.
Clutch size: 3–8 white eggs. At hatch chicks are naked, with pink skin, and a sharp egg tooth at the tip of bill. Their eyes are closed.
Incubation: 12 days.
Fledging: 18–21 days.
References
- "Downy Woodpecker, Life History". All about birds, The Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Retrieved October, 2016.
- "Downy Woodpecker". Audubon Guide to North American Birds. Retrieved October, 2016.
- "Downy Woodpecker". Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved October, 2016.