Downy Vs. Downy

[clutchkiller]

I was trying to get a shot of a red-belly that was flying around the yard today when these two downy’s showed up and put on a little show…

I wish these would have turned out a little nicer…I have a lot of nice sharp shots of them when they were staring at each other but once the action began I lost focus.

 

[Hideandwatch]

nice series Paul..I dont know much about the downeys, but notice only one with the red on the back of it's head. Do you think this is possibly a male and female and the male being the red head? Unless one is a Downey and the other a hairy.

 

[clutchkiller]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Hideandwatch @ Feb 9 2007, 03:54 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

nice series Paul..I dont know much about the downeys, but notice only one with the red on the back of it's head. Do you think this is possibly a male and female and the male being the red head? Unless one is a Downey and the other a hairy.[/b]

Thanks Hideandwatch, and yup, the male has the red head feathers... I don't know what they were squabbling about, but she gave him an arse whooping. The easiest way to tell the Downy and Hairy woodpeckers apart is: The downy woodpecker has black bars on its white tail feathers, the hairy dose not have them. Also, the hairy woodpecker is a little larger in size with a longer beak.

Notice the length of the beak and missing black bars on the tail feathers on the Hairy woodpecker below...

 

[Hideandwatch]

Thanks for the explaination Paul. sure would be easy to mistake the two, if ya didnt have that info.

 

[el_vaquero]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (clutchkiller @ Feb 9 2007, 05:44 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

I don't know what they were squabbling about, but she gave him an arse whooping.[/b]

He probably couldn't tell you what they were squabling about either because he wasn't listening....

Nice series though....thanks for sharing.

 

[clutchkiller]

LOL, Thanks El_vequero... that's probably very true

 

[wtnhunt]

Nice series of pics there. Birds been pretty active in the yard here the past few days, need to get out and snap a few this weekend.