Common Names
- Downy Woodpecker (en)
- Pico pubescente (es)
- Pic mineur (fr)
- Dunenspecht (de)
Taxonomy
- Piciformes
- Picidae
- Picoides pubescens
Downy Woodpecker - Picoides pubescens
It is the smallest woodpecker in the parks around Montreal. It stays in the region the whole year mostly eating insects found below the bark of trees. Common visitor of bird feeders in the winter.
Where & When to Spot
I observe this species in almost all parks all year long but more frequently in winter because of better visibility.
Observation Logs
On every park visit, we maintain a log of species spotted and identified. If you maintain a similar list, please consider sharing it with Muuuh Wildlife Photography: Share Logs.
| Location | Spring | Summer | Autumn | Winter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Park Angrignon, Montreal | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Park Mont-Royal | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Park Pointe aux Prairies | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Times a species has been spotted, identified and logged while visiting this park. A species is reported only once / park visit. Only parks listed which we visit frequently all year long. Consult the page animal tracking about how we log observations in field.
How to Identify
The appearance of this species is almost identical to the larger Hairy Woodpecker besides two distinguished characteristics. The beak of this species is shorter than the head and it has black spots on the white tail feathers.
Photos
Female Downy Woodpecker
Female Downy Woodpecker
Park Angrignon, Montreal - 2019-03-09
NIKON D500; 300mm f/4.0; Focal Length 420mm; Exposure 1/1250; Aperture f/5.6; Iso 140;
Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens)
Male Downy Woodpecker
Park Pointe aux Prairies - 2016-03-22
NIKON D7100; 150-600mm f/5.0-6.3; Focal Length 600mm; Exposure 1/1000; Aperture f6.3; Iso 560;
Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens)
Lazy individual. he went to the feeder, catched some and returned to the tree .
Park Mont-Royal - 2016-03-04
NIKON D7100; 150-600mm f/5.0-6.3; Focal Length 600mm; Exposure 1/1000; Aperture f6.3; Iso 800;
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