Downy woodpecker

The downy woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens) is a species of woodpecker. It is the smallest in North America.

Downy woodpecker
Male
Female
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Order:	Piciformes
Family:	Picidae
Genus:	Dryobates
Species:	D. pubescens
Binomial name
Dryobates pubescens (Linnaeus, 1766)
Approximate distribution map      Year-round
Synonyms
Picus pubescens Linnaeus, 1766 Picoides pubescens (Linnaeus, 1766)

Subspecies

Seven subspecies are recognized:

• D. p. glacialis (Grinnell, 1910) – southeast Alaska
• D. p. medianus (Swainson, 1832) – central Alaska to east Canada and central and east USA
• D. p. fumidus (Maynard, 1889) – southwest Canada and west Washington
• D. p. gairdnerii (Audubon, 1839) – west Oregon to northwest California
• D. p. turati (Malherbe, 1860) – central Washington to central California
• D. p. leucurus (Hartlaub, 1852) – Rocky Mountains (southeast Alaska to southwest USA)
• D. p. pubescens (Linnaeus, 1766) – southeast USA

Gallery

• 

  An adult female walking in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

• 

  A downy woodpecker hanging upside down

• Feeding on suet

• 

  Male Dryobates pubescens in Overpeck Park, New Jersey, USA

• Downy woodpecker feeding chicks in New York City, USA

• 

  Female with a leaf caught on her bill in New York City

• 

  Male in New York City

Downy Woodpecker Media

• A Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens) drumming in Roberts Bird Sanctuary, Minneapolis, Minnesota. A second, distant woodpecker drumming in response and other birds, including an American Robin and a Red-winged Blackbird, can be heard in the background.

• 

  The female lacks the red patch on the back of the head

Other websites

• Downy woodpecker - Picoides pubescens Archived 2017-01-07 at the Wayback Machine - USGS Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter
• Downy woodpecker Species Account - Cornell Lab of Ornithology
• Downy woodpecker Bird Sound at Florida Museum of Natural History