Downy Woodpecker
Dryobates pubescens
Downy Woodpecker · Central Park · 21 September 2025
A Downy Woodpecker in Central Park in September, North America's smallest woodpecker and a resident of every wood, park and garden in the eastern United States all year round.
Easily confused with the larger, nearly identically patterned Hairy Woodpecker; the short, stubby bill relative to the head is the reliable difference, clearly shown here. The two are not close relatives despite the matching plumage. The Downy is thought to have evolved to look like the Hairy so that other birds treat it as the bigger, more dominant species at a feeder.
Birds, insects, plants and other wildlife, mostly from Brooklyn, with some from further afield.
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