Types of Woodpeckers
Woodpeckers do a job no other bird does: chiseling into wood for insects and drumming on it to claim territory. Stiff tail feathers prop them upright, and a shock-absorbing skull lets them hammer without a headache. From the sparrow-sized Downy to the crow-sized Pileated, here are the woodpeckers in the Huck field guide.
28 woodpeckers in the Huck field guide. Tap any one for identification, habitat, diet, and a live sightings map.
Not sure which woodpecker you found?
Point Huck at it. One photo identifies it on the spot, and adds it to your collection.
Get Huck - freeCommon questions
What is the difference between a Downy and a Hairy Woodpecker?
They look almost identical in black and white, but the Downy is smaller with a short, stubby bill, while the Hairy is noticeably larger with a bill about as long as its head is deep. Size and bill length are the tells.
Why is a woodpecker drumming on my house?
Drumming on siding, gutters, or metal flashing is territorial advertising, not feeding, and it peaks in spring. Actual holes usually mean insects in the wood. Either way it is a sign a woodpecker has claimed your yard.