Bird Calls Radio's Bird of the Day for Friday, Sept. 2

Happy Friday! The Bird Calls Radio’s Bird of the Day for Friday, Sept. 2, is the hairy woodpecker. Hairy woodpeckers resemble the more common downy woodpecker, but are larger. Their coloration and markings are the same; including the males having a red patch on their head and females lacking that patch.

Many beginning birdwatchers confuse hairy woodpeckers and downy woodpeckers. Hairy woodpeckers are larger (6 inches compared to 9 inches.) The better way to tell them apart is by their bills. Hairy woodpeckers have a large, substantial bill; while downy woodpeckers have smaller, petite bills. See the large bill of the hairy woodpecker in the photo above.

Some naturalists feel the hairy woodpecker is in decline because of the expansion of the red-bellied woodpecker’s range. Red-bellied woodpeckers are moving their range north and possibly having a negative impact on hairy woodpeckers.

Be sure to check out Bird Calls every Saturday from 3 to 4 p.m. on WSTC/WNLK AM1400/1350 (in S. CT and nearby NY) or www.wstcwnlk.com from anywhere in the world (where there’s Internet access, that is.) Thanks for checking in.