Female Downy Woodpeckers (Identification Guide: Male vs Female)

Downy Woodpecker (Bamboo shoots) is the smallest of the North American woodpeckers and is found throughout most of the United States and Canada. Common to a variety of woody habitats, these busy birds are no strangers to backyards.

Downy woodpeckers don’t migrate, so you can see them year-round in suitable habitat. If you have a backyard bird feeder, chances are these birds will visit you, especially if you put suet.

The easiest way to tell the difference between a female and a male downy woodpecker is to look for a red spot on the back of the head. Females do not have this red nape bar. Female downy woodpeckers are also more likely to forage for insects on tree trunks and other major branches.

In addition to the absence of red-necked bars, there are some important behavioral cues that can help birders distinguish female downy woodpeckers from male downy woodpeckers.

Read on to learn more fun facts and helpful ways to identify female downy woodpeckers in the wild.

Female downy woodpecker perched on a branch

How do you know if a downy woodpecker is male or female?

Male downy woodpeckers have a small red patch on the back of their head. Female downy woodpeckers, which have solid black and white heads, do not have this feature.

Interestingly, this difference between males and females can be seen in many different species of woodpeckers around the world.

The presence or absence of a red scruff bar is a good way to tell if you’re looking at a male or female downy woodpecker, but there are other clues to look out for as well. Read on to learn more!

female downy woodpecker

male downy woodpecker

What does a female downy woodpecker look like?

The female downy woodpecker is a striking black and white bird. They are about the size of a sparrow, 5.5-6.7 inches long, and weigh an average of less than an ounce (28 grams).

The lower body of the female downy woodpecker is all white, and the wings and upper body are mostly black. The wings are covered with white spots, and the upper surface of the tail is black with white outer tail feathers (rectrices). If you look closely, you will find some black spots on these white feathers.

These birds have a distinctive white marking that runs down the center of their back.

Female downy woodpeckers have black crown spots and a broad black stripe from the eyes to the back of the head. They also have a thinner black stripe that runs from the short, pointed beak to the black shoulders.

Female downy woodpecker eating wild berries

Distinguishing female downy woodpeckers from their congeners

The female downy woodpecker is easily confused with other woodpeckers of the genus Dryobates, especially where their distributions overlap. Read on to learn how to tell the difference between a female downy woodpecker and some similar species.

• Shaggy woodpecker (long-haired dry bat) overlaps with the downy woodpecker in most of the United States and Canada. This is probably the bird most easily confused with the female downy woodpecker. Hairy woodpeckers are much larger than downy woodpeckers and have a proportionally larger beak. Downy woodpeckers also have black spots on their outer tail feathers, while hairy woodpeckers are pure white.

  Check out this article for a more in-depth look at the difference between Hairy and Downy Woodpeckers

• Nuttall Woodpecker (marmot) overlaps with the California downed woodpecker. This species has black and white stripes on its back, without large white patches. Its head is also more boldly marked with fewer white feathers.
• Ladderback Woodpecker (scaly marmot) overlap with downy woodpeckers in states such as Colorado and northern Texas. This species has clear black and white stripes on its back.
• Red-crowned Woodpecker (arctic marmot) overlaps with the downy woodpecker in the southeastern states, from east Texas to Florida and north to Virginia. This species looks very similar, but without the large white back patch and with more white on the sides of the face.
• Yellow-bellied, Williamson, and red-naped woodpeckers are also superficially similar to downy woodpecker females, but these birds all have a darker appearance, especially when the underside is visible.

A male (left) and female (right) pair of downy woodpeckers together at a feeder

Are female downy woodpeckers red?

Adult female downy woodpeckers do not have any red color. Their plumage is only black and white. However, some juvenile females will have some reddish feathers on the forehead (rather than the nape).

What is the female downy woodpecker’s name?

The female downy woodpecker does not have a specific name. The word hen can be used to describe the female of most birds, including woodpeckers.

Female downy woodpecker eating sunflower seeds

Are female downy woodpeckers bigger than males?

Female downy woodpeckers are roughly the same size as males. Research has shown that female downy woodpeckers are slightly larger than males in some areas, but smaller in others. Interestingly, both males and females are larger in the northern part of their range than in the southern part.

There are some physical differences between the sexes, but these are of little use to birders in the wild. In most of the United States, female downy woodpeckers have longer wings and tails than males.

Now that you know which physical cues to look out for, let’s take a look at some of the major behavioral differences between female and male downy woodpeckers.

female downy woodpecker on a tree

behavioral difference

Downy woodpeckers have a fascinating technique for limiting food competition between the sexes. Female downy woodpeckers forage on larger branches and trunks, while males forage on the ground and on smaller limbs. This is a great way to tell males and females apart in low light or when you don’t have binoculars handy.

There are also some subtle behavioral differences when it comes to territorial conflicts. Females usually only show territorial aggression towards other females, and they show more territorial aggression than males, at least in some areas.

sing and call

Both sexes of the downy woodpecker make a range of sounds and also tap trees. Males produced the characteristic purr more frequently when digging their nests, but otherwise there were no significant differences between the sexes.

Female soft woodpecker perched on a branch in winter

nesting and feeding

Male and female downy woodpeckers work together to dig the nest. They also look for nesting sites, although females make the final choice more often than males.

Once the nest is complete and eggs are laid, the female downy woodpecker shares the daytime hatching and brooding duties. Her partner takes all responsibility at night. In some regions, female downy woodpeckers feed their young less frequently and spend less time feeding than males.

Can female downy woodpeckers raise offspring alone?

Female downy woodpeckers are less likely to raise offspring alone. The male bird has been documented to feed its chicks more frequently than the female, and it is also responsible for night incubation and brooding, so its contribution to the rearing of its young is very large!