Re: She's a Hairy Woodpecker

Observers: Sharon Ford
Email: sharef@pacbell.net
Verification: MONO
Remote Name: 69.236.27.36
Date: 09/27/2007
Time: 12:52 PM -0400

Sighting

Thanks, Debby for your help in this identification. In consulting more references, the Hairy Woodpecker has different geographical sub-species. The birds in the Great Basin and Rockies show very little or no spots on their backs and wings. David Sibley sites the Hairy and Downey Woodpeckers as an example of a species where the variations in markings can make birds at one end of the cline, as the Eastern Hairy with distinct spotting on the back and wings, and the Hairy of the Great Basin with little or no spotting in those areas, appear very different. National Geographic's Complete Birds of North America reference sites 11 sub-species north of Mexico. She's a Hairy.