Hairy Woodpecker (male)

Description:

The Hairy Woodpecker is to 10 inches. Robin sized. Black and white with an unspotted white back and a long bill (longer bill than a Downy Woodpecker). The male has a red head patch. Like all woodpeckers it has an undulating flight.

Habitat:

Deciduous forest; more widespread in winter and migration.

Notes:

The Hairy Woodpecker is one of the most beneficial birds, saving both forest and fruit trees by destroying many harmful insects such as wood-boring beetles (which it extracts from holes with its barbed tongue). Like other woodpeckers, it hammers on dead limbs as part of its courtship ceremony and to proclaim its territory.