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Downy Woodpecker
At a feeder, look at the bill before judging size. The Downy’s bill is short and stubby against its head. If the bird turns, check the white outer tail feathers for dark bars. A red patch on the back of a male’s head still leaves you with either Downy or Hairy.
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Hairy Woodpecker
Look for a chisel-shaped bill nearly as long as the head. On a sideways view the bill gives the Hairy away even when there’s no Downy nearby for comparison. The outer tail feathers are usually clean white.
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Red-bellied Woodpecker
The belly is often the least useful place to look. A pale face and fine black-and-white bars across the back are easier to see. A male’s red extends across the crown and nape, while a female shows red at the nape.
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Red-headed Woodpecker
An adult’s whole head and throat are red, set off against large blocks of black and white. A young bird has a brown head and dark marks on the white wing panels. If the head color throws you, start with the size and shape of the wing patch.
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Pileated Woodpecker
Look for a tall red crest, black body, and white stripe down the neck. In flight, the white underwings flash against that dark body. Both sexes have the crest. A red mustache stripe points to a male.
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Northern Flicker
A brown woodpecker with a black chest patch and spotted belly is a good candidate. Yellow flashes under the wings are common in eastern birds, while many western birds flash salmon-red. Where those forms meet, the colors can mix, so start with the breast pattern.
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Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
On a folded wing, find the bold vertical white stripe. That is easier to see than the faint yellow wash underneath. On adults, the male has a red throat and the female has a white one. A brownish youngster can make this a much less colorful identification.
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Red-naped Sapsucker
When a western sapsucker looks like a Yellow-bellied, check the back of its neck. A Red-naped Sapsucker usually shows a red patch there. A female has some red on her throat, while the female Yellow-bellied’s throat is white. One awkward view can hide the nape, so wait for the bird to turn.
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Red-breasted Sapsucker
The red extends over the head and onto the chest, giving the adult a bigger block of color than a Red-naped Sapsucker. Look for the sapsucker’s long white patch on the folded wing. That is handy if the red head makes you think of a Red-headed Woodpecker first.
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Williamson's Sapsucker
Two birds can look like different species until you learn this pair. A male is mostly black with a conspicuous white wing patch and a yellow belly. A female has a brown head and a barred back. Her dark chest helps if you first thought of a Gila Woodpecker.
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Acorn Woodpecker
White eyes and a bold black-and-white face make a useful combination with the red cap. Compare the forehead and cap when the bird turns. In a female, a black band separates the two.
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Lewis's Woodpecker
The pink belly and gray collar can help when the back just looks dark. Watch what it does from a perch. It often flies out to catch insects in the air, so a bird behaving like a flycatcher can still turn out to be this woodpecker.
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Red-cockaded Woodpecker
Start with the big white cheek patch beneath a black cap. The back is barred and the male’s tiny red mark can be hard to see. A clear view of the head gives you a better starting point than trying to find the feature in the name.
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White-headed Woodpecker
A broad white head on a mostly black bird is visible at a distance. Watch for the white wing patch as it flies. If you are choosing between this and an Acorn Woodpecker, look for the little areas of black and red that break up the Acorn’s face.
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Black-backed Woodpecker
A yellow crown patch can show on a male of either this species or the American Three-toed. Check the back. On the Black-backed it’s solid black, with barring on the sides and less white on the face than on its look-alike.
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American Three-toed Woodpecker
Look for some pattern down the back and more white on the face than on a Black-backed Woodpecker. The amount of white on the back varies, so the face can help when the back looks darker than the illustration you expected.
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Ladder-backed Woodpecker
If you can see the upper back, check how far the light bars continue. The Ladder-backed shows more white across that area and on the face than Nuttall’s. In the Southwest, a dry setting is another clue, especially when the bird gives you a short look.
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Nuttall's Woodpecker
A broad, dark area high on the back interrupts the otherwise barred pattern. That is useful when it looks superficially like a Ladder-backed Woodpecker. The narrow light lines on a dark face are another detail to check before the bird slips around the trunk.
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Gila Woodpecker
A plain buff head and belly sit in front of a sharply barred back, wings, and tail. A male has a little red on the crown. The buff front and conspicuous back stripes are an easier combination to see than that small patch of red.
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Gilded Flicker
In the Southwest, yellow underwings can also point to a Gilded Flicker. Look for a cinnamon crown and plenty of black underneath the tail. A male can have a red mustache stripe. Some Northern Flickers look similar, so a single flash of yellow is a poor tie-breaker.
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