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Sunday, July 21, 1996     Page:

Pennsylvania’s home to six woodpeckers
   
In addition to flickers, Pennsylvania has six woodpeckers that are common
in the state’s forestsTwo are quite prevalent in the woods as well as backyard
feeding stations and look very similar.
    These are the downy and hairy woodpeckers.
   
The downy and hairy are almost indistinguishable to novice birders, but
their size is the key to proper identifications.
   
The smaller, 6-inch downy has a series of dark spots on its outer white
tail feathers and the larger, 9-inch hairy has a longer, heavier bill upon
close examination with field glasses.
   
These two points make identification easy when in the field.
   
A bird that might be mistaken for a hairy at first glance is the
yellow-bellied sapsucker, but a closer look will reveal major differences. The
sapsuckers have a long white wing patches and a splotch of red on their
foreheads. The males have an obvious red throat patch, while the females
possess a white throat patch.
   
As its name implies, the red-headed woodpecker has a head that is totally
caped in red. As the deeply red coloration runs from the back of the neck well
down the throat, there is no mistaking this bird for any other species.
   
The red-bellied woodpecker is probably the rarest of all the state’s
woodpeckers. Despite its name, it does not have a red belly. Field markings
for this southern bird that is slowly expanding its northern range include a
black and white zebra-striped back and a red cap on the males that extends to
the back of the neck. Females have patches of red only on the nape of their
necks. The tops of their heads are covered with tan or brownish feathers.
   
The largest of all of Pennsylvania’s woodpeckers is the pileated. This
reclusive, crow-sized bird with a long neck and crested head is the bird upon
which the cartoon character Woody Woodpecker was based.
   
— George Smith