• Downy woodpeckers are the smallest North American woodpecker.
• Their small size allows them to specialize in eating differently than other woodpeckers.
• Like other woodpeckers, they will excavate insects from tree trunks. However, their small size also allows them to balance on smaller perches like sycamore seed balls while feeding on smaller prey (animals they eat).
• They are even small enough to balance on top of tall weeds and feed on insects living in the stems of the weeds.

• Woodpeckers spend a lot of time moving along tree trunks and maneuvering around branches.
• They have some adaptations that allow them to easily move and balance on these vertical structures.
• Their feet are specialized for clinging to trees. While most songbirds have three toes that face forward and one toe facing the back, woodpeckers have zygodactyl feet. This means two toes face forward and two face backward, giving them extra support when moving along tree trunks.
• Woodpeckers also have stiffened tail feathers.
• When perched on a vertical surface, they lean against these stiffened tail feathers to help them balance.

• Woodpeckers are often seen drumming against tree trunks and other hard surfaces.
• They have several specialized structures to help protect themselves.
• They have strong neck muscles and thickened skulls to help protect their organs from any damage.
• Woodpeckers have special, bristle-like nose feathers near their nostrils to protect themselves from breathing in any wood chips.
• All birds have a translucent inner "eyelid" called a nictitating membrane. Woodpeckers use this membrane like a pair of safety goggles! They are able to close this eyelid over their eye while drumming which protects their eyes from any stray woodchips.

• Birds have feathers on their wings rather than hair like humans. Feathers are light, waterproof, and are adjustable for flight control.
• Birds have lightweight beaks instead of heavy jaws and teeth like humans.
• Most bones in their bodies are hollow or honeycombed, making them very lightweight. Some of their bones are fused for increased efficiency and lighter weight.
• Birds have a larger and more efficient respiratory system than humans do since flight is a physically-demanding activity.

• Birds do not have teeth and are not able to chew food. Because of this, they have a specialized part of their stomach, called a gizzard, that helps with digestion by grinding food.
• The small stones, sand, and grit that birds pick up while they are eating are stored in the gizzard.
• Once food is swallowed and makes its way to the gizzard, it is pulverized by the grit and stomach muscles.
• Some birds like chickens, ducks, and turkeys have thick, muscular gizzards. Other birds that eat food items that are easy to digest, such as nectar and soft-bodied insects, have thin-walled gizzards.

• They are active during the day (diurnal).

• Downy woodpeckers are territorial and will defend their territory against other downy woodpeckers if they feel threatened.
• Males usually defend against intruding males, and females defend against intruding females.
• Downy woodpeckers use displays like wing flicking, tail fanning, raising the crest, and holding their bill upward to defend their territories.

• Downy woodpeckers communicate with one another by drumming on wood or metal.
• Drumming is most common in late winter and early spring when males are attempting to attract females.
• These sounds are also used to establish and defend territories.

• Nest in a cavity, a hollowed out portion of a tree.
• Males do most of the excavating, but females will help.
• Eggs are laid on wood shavings that were created when excavating the nest.

Downy Woodpecker in Excavated Cavity
flickr – Bryant Olsen
Click on image to enlarge it

• Females lay 3 – 8 hard-shelled eggs per brood andhave one brood per year.
• Eggs are white and oval shaped and are less than one inch in length.
• Females lay one egg each day.

• Babies hatch from the eggs after 18 – 21 days.
• When they hatch, they do not have any feathers.
• They remain in the nest for around 18 days until they have grown in their first set of feathers and can forage for food on their own.

• Can live up to 11 years

• Adult downy woodpeckers are an important food source for birds of prey including American kestrels and sharp-shinned hawks.
• These birds of prey are fast and agile and will capture downy woodpeckers in flight!
• Eggs and the young are commonly eaten by snakes, squirrels, and other woodpeckers including red-bellied woodpeckers.

• Downy woodpecker holes that are no longer being used will be taken up by other cavity nesting species.

• Downy woodpeckers rely on insects and other invertebrates (animals without a spine or backbone) for the majority of their food.
• Because of this, dowmu woodpeckers help control insect populations on which they feed, including some insects that are considered pests by humans.