The male and female Hairy Woodpeckers look similiar to the Downy Woodpeckers but are much larger. The Hairy Woodpeckers have a longer black bill and no black spots on the tail like Downy's have. Both types of woodpeckers have the bristle-like feathers at the base of their bills to protect their nostrils from wood dust.
Downy Woodpecker is about 6 inches in length and Hairy is about 9 inches.
9 years ago