Fauna Flora Photography

Hairy Woodpecker Picoides villosus

Hairy Woodpecker Picoides villosus

Aves > Piciformes > Picidae

Names in different Languages

GermanHaarspecht
EnglishHairy Woodpecker
FrenchPic chevelu
SpanishPico velloso

Description

A mid-sized woodpecker commonly seen in the forests around Montreal. Males have a small red patch on the back of the head.

How to Identify

There is one species which is very similar to the Hairy Woodpecker and covering the same areas displaying same behavior. To identify this species, I look at the length of the beak which exceeds significantly one third of the width of the head when being seen from the side.

Where When to Spot

All year long in the forests around Montreal. Best season is winter as due to lack of foliage the bird can be spotted more easily. Just sit down and watch. After some time a Hairy Woodpecker will pass by walking up the tree trunks searching for insects.

Photos

Videos

You can watch these videos and many more on Muuuh's YouTube Channel.

Observations

2023-04-02Parc Angrignon
2023-03-25Belvédère Outremont
2023-03-11Parc Nature Pointe aux Prairies
2022-10-16Parc Bernard-Landry
2022-05-01Parc Nature Pointe aux Prairies
2022-04-15Parc Nature Pointe aux Prairies
2019-09-01Parc Angrignon
2019-04-13Parc de la Frayère
2019-03-09Parc Angrignon
2018-04-01Jardin Botanique de Montréal

Last updated on 2023-01-15. Written and regularly updated by Karl-Heinz Müller, Dipl. Natw. ETH, Biology. With 10 years of experience in wildlife photography, Karl-Heinz shares first-hand, on-site collected observations, photos and videos from his frequent visits to parks in the Montreal area.