Bird Guide

Downy Woodpecker vs Lesser Spotted Woodpecker

Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens)

Downy Woodpecker

Dryobates pubescens

Small26 gWoodland

Adult downy woodpeckers are the smallest of North America's woodpeckers, but there are many smaller species elsewhere, especially the piculets. The total length of the species ranges from 14 to 18 cm (5.5 to 7.1 in) and the wingspan from 25 to 31 cm (9.8 to 12.2 in). Body mass ranges from 20 to 33 g (0.71 to 1.16 oz). Standard measurements are as follows: the wing chord is 8.5–10 cm (3.3–3.9 in), the tail is 4–6 cm (1.6–2.4 in), the bill is 1–1.8 cm (0.39–0.71 in) and the tarsus is 1.1–1.7 cm (0.43–0.67 in). Voice: The downy woodpecker gives a number of vocalizations, including a short pik call. The rattle-call is a short burst that sounds similar to a bouncing ball, while that of the hairy woodpecker is a shorter burst of the same amplitude. Like other woodpeckers, it also produces a drumming sound (sounds like four taps ) with its beak as it pecks into trees.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Downy Woodpecker
Recorded by Jonathon Jongsma · Call · Bancroft Neighborhood, Minneapolis, Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: joy4birds · CC0
Lesser Spotted Woodpecker (Dryobates minor)

Lesser Spotted Woodpecker

Dryobates minor

Small20 gForest

This is the smallest European woodpecker, with adults being 14 to 16.5 cm (5.5 to 6.5 in) long with a wing span of 24 to 29 cm (9.4 to 11.4 in) and weighing 17 to 25 g (0.60 to 0.88 oz). A sample of 50 lesser spotted woodpeckers in Great Britain averaged 19.8 g (0.70 oz) in body mass. From its small size and its habit of spending most of its time in the tops of tall trees in woods and parks, this little woodpecker is often overlooked, but if sighted on a trunk it may at once be identified by the broad barring on the wings and narrower bars across the lower back.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker
Recorded by Sonothèque ADVL · Drumming · Arrondissement of Avranches (near Bacilly), Manche, Normandie, France · CC0
Photo: Petro Miroshnyk · CC BY 4.0

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Downy Woodpecker and Lesser Spotted Woodpecker.