The active little Downy Woodpecker is a familiar sight at my backyard feeders and is one of my favorite birds. The Downy Woodpecker is a small bird with short bill. White below, upperparts mostly black with a white back and bold white spots in the wings. Head striped black and white, with a red nape.
They prefer suet feeders, but are also fond of black oil sunflower seeds, millet, peanuts, and chunky peanut butter. Pleasing this little fella and perhaps attracting more is what motivated me to put up some suet feeders with a suet blend for woodpeckers.
Males and females drum steadily on trees to defend their territory, attract mates, or maintain contact with their mate.
Downy Woodpeckers feed in the wild on insects, especially wood-boring larvae, caterpillars and ants. You’ll often see them on the sides of trees where they pick and probe bark for insects and larvae.
Juveniles have red feathering on the cap.