Woodpecker ID in California, Help Please... Downy or Hairy? (1 Viewer)

I took these photos today at Garin Park in Hayward. This woodpecker was way up in the tree preening. I couldn't get the best shot or angle so I can't tell if this is a Downy or Hairy Woodpecker.

Any ID help is very much appreciated. Thanks.

Gail

Downy

I would vote Downy for this one.

The build seems more compact than Hairy and the bill seems to be too short for Hairy.

Imagine if you saw this bird as a solid black silhouette cutout.

Would you look at that silhouette and think "Hairy", or would you think "Downy"?

Likewise, a Red-bellied Woodpecker only 6 inches long would look very strange!

Hairy's are MUCH larger than Downys and their bill is more like the proportion of bill length to head depth as you would see in a Norther Flicker or Red-bellied Woodpecker.

Ignore the plumage and just consider the size and shape (since your photos don't capture the only plumage characteristic that can separate the two in most cases) of the bird.

If you would be disturbed to see a Red-bellied Woodpecker that was as tiny as a Downy Woodpecker then you know where I am coming from.

Hairy Woodpeckers look like Downy-colored big woodpeckers.
Downy Woodpeckers look like sparrows that decided to dress up like a woodpecker.

Thank you both very much for the ID help. Thanks for the extra ID tips, Terry.

... Substitute Gila Woodpecker for the eastern Red-bellied Woodpecker. |=)|