Downy Woodpecker
Picoides pubescens
Downy Woodpeckers have a white rectangular patch on their backs, and flanks that are mostly white. They are North America's smallest woodpecker. The left photo is of a male Downy Woodpecker, displaying its red tuft at the back of its head. The photograph on the right is of a female Downy Woodpecker, lacking the red tuft. Downy Woodpeckers have the same basic body pattern as the larger Hairy Woodpeckers, and their short beaks (with length distinctly smaller than the length of their heads) and small size often help to distinguish them from Hairys. The photograph of the male Downy Woodpecker was taken at the Miller-Knox Regional Shoreline in Richmond, CA on April 4, 2018. The female was taken by Jewel Lake in Tilden Regional Park, CA on September 7, 2018. (Click on either photograph for an enlarged version.)