Downy Woodpecker
Dryobates pubescens
Picidae
The smallest and most common NJ woodpecker — sparrow-sized, black and white, with a red patch on the back of the male's head. Downys are non-picky about habitat, comfortable in suburban yards, and readily use suet feeders. Nearly identical in plumage to the larger Hairy Woodpecker — the size difference is the key ID.
How to spot one.
6–7 inches — sparrow-sized
Black-and-white barred back, black wings with white spots
White belly, black head with white stripes above and below the eye
Male has red patch on back of head; female does not
Short stubby bill (Hairy Woodpecker's bill is nearly as long as its head)
What it sounds like.
Sharp 'pik!' calls; whinnying trill that descends in pitch. Drumming is soft and rapid.
How it lives.
Forages on small branches and even weed stalks — one of the few woodpeckers small enough to work on stems. Excavates its own cavity in dead or dying wood each spring. Common at suet feeders year-round.
The spec sheet.
- Status
- Year-round resident
- Size
- 5.5–6.7 inches
- Present in NJ
- Year-round
- Native to NJ
- Yes
- Conservation status
- stable
- Family
- Picidae
What it eats.
Diet often shifts dramatically between breeding season and the rest of the year — especially for insectivorous birds that pivot to native berries in fall and winter.
Summer / breeding season
Beetles, ants, gall wasps, caterpillars
Wood-boring larvae inside branches
Some berries and seeds
Fall / winter
Beetle larvae extracted from bark
Suet at feeders
Sunflower seeds
Poison ivy berries (yes, really)
What it needs.
Native plants that feed this bird or provide shelter. Names in hydrangea link to the plant’s Field Guide entry.
Dead standing trees (snags)
Cover / habitat
Native oaks and cherries
Larval host tree (feeds caterpillars)
Fruit / berry source
Sunflower (native and cultivated)
Seed source
Audubon Field Guide · Mass Audubon
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