It also has a special weapon, a needled beak that enables it to probe deep into crevices for larvae and eggs of insects spending winter where it’s warmer. The downy also can peck at galls or ...

all See photos of more woodpecker species birders should know. Although this bird is at least 25% larger than the downy woodpecker, the difference isn’t obvious when they’re not together.

Woodpeckers make their home on almost every continent. They come in all sorts of shapes and sizes — from the massive pileated woodpecker to the cute compact downy woodpecker, they’re a family ...