Downy Woodpecker

Description:

Small red rectangular spot on the back of the head. The rest of the bird is black and white, with a tiny bit of orange/tan on the nose. This has a look-alike bird that is bigger. Downy Woodpecker (6 3/4") tall, which is the size of the suet feeder he's on. Hairy Woodpeckers are (9 1/4") tall, which would probably place him hanging off the bottom of the feeder by 3 or so inches. Unless you have a larger than typical suet feeder. The two birds look identical, have the same range practically. But, something I'm not good enough to tell yet - is the Downy Woodpecker has a bill that is "1/2 the depth of the head". While the Hairy Woodpecker has a much larger beak to head ration that is "more than 1/2 the depth of the head". In my bird book, Stokes Field Guide, the birds look identical but for the beak on the Hairy being nearly the size of the head.

Notes:

There are two of these birds that frequent the cherry tree together or one at a time. This particular one was in the tree alone. It let me walk within 10 yards of it. I could have gotten closer still, but he was already filling the frame of the camera shot. Plus, I did not want to spook it.