Breeding Bird: HAIRY WOODPECKER (Picoides villosus)

Description: Predominantly black feathering with white back and belly. Wings are black-and-white checkered. Male has a red band across the back of the head, a white eye line and white outer tail feathers. Juvenile males have white spots on forehead with an orangish-red streaking on crown. Downy and hairy woodpeckers are similar except the latter is larger overall with a much longer bill. Length: 9 1/4 inches.

Habitat: Wooded parks, shade trees, forests, river groves and open woodland.

Diet: 75-95% insects. Nuts in winter. May also cache insects during winter.

Displays: Female taps at nest site, performs quivering, fluttering flight to attract male.

Nest: Once a year, male selects site. The pair work together for three weeks to excavate hole. Nest is lined with chips.

Eggs: White. Slightly less than 1 inch long.

Call: A sharp peek! and a slurred whining.

Notes: Monogamous coupling. The exceptionally long tongue of the hairy woodpecker wraps around the skull and is anchored at the base of the bill. Long tongue-based bones are used to retract and extend the tongue. The tip is barbed at the end, to stick into prey. A sticky saliva coating the tongue works to hold insects as they are pulled from crevices.

Map indicates 5-kilometer-square areas where breeding activity has been confirmed.

Note: Map is divided into 5-kilometer squares so that Audubon Society volunteers can more easily survey areas on a regular basis. Sources: Sea and Sage Audubon Society; “The Birder’s Handbook,” Ehrlich, Dobkin and Wheye, Fireside Books (1988); “Field Guide to the Birds of North America,” National Geographic Society (1987); “Birds of Southern California: Status and Distribution,” Garrett and Dunn, Los Angeles Audubon Society (1981).