Dryobates villosus
Mature woods across most of the continent, less tied to feeders than the downy. Larger holes than a downy.
What does a hairy woodpecker look like?
A larger copy of the downy, with a long bill.
What do hairy woodpecker tracks look like?
No useful ground track. Larger, deeper holes than a downy, on bigger trees.
- Larger holes than a downy
- Bill about as long as the head
- Black and white with a white back
- Male has a red patch on the back of the head
- Often on larger trunks
What does hairy woodpecker poop look like?
Whitewash below a roost cavity. Do not handle droppings. Several species carry parasites that stay in the soil around a latrine.
Where you find it
Mature woods across most of the continent, less tied to feeders than the downy. Typical places: woods, yard. Year-round in much of the range. Some move south for winter.
What to do next
- Watch from a distance
- Do not approach a nest
- If a bird is injured, call a local wildlife rehabilitator
This page is a field guide, not a permit to approach wildlife. If an animal is injured, aggressive, or inside a house, call a local wildlife officer.
Animals it is confused with
- Downy woodpecker identification
- Pileated woodpecker identification
- All animal identification pages
- Identify an animal from a photo, track, or description
Black and white, with a white stripe down the back and a bill as long as its head.
How to tell a hairy woodpecker from similar animals
Use the track, the dropping, and the place together. One print is not enough.
- Downy woodpecker. Woodpeckers do not leave a useful ground trail. Small black-and-white woodpecker.
- Pileated woodpecker. The sign is the excavation: a deep rectangle in a dead trunk, with chips below. Crow-sized, black, with a red crest and a white neck stripe.
Hairy woodpecker field marks
- Larger holes than a downy
- Bill about as long as the head
- Black and white with a white back
- Male has a red patch on the back of the head
Where the sign shows up
Mature woods across most of the continent, less tied to feeders than the downy. Typical places: woods, yard. Year-round in much of the range. Some move south for winter.
No useful ground track. Larger, deeper holes than a downy, on bigger trees. Whitewash below a roost cavity.
Common questions
What does a hairy woodpecker look like?
Black and white, with a white stripe down the back and a bill as long as its head.