Well, I finally did it. I got a decent photo of a hairy woodpecker. For some reason, I have always had bad luck when it comes to this particular species. So, after decades of that nonsense, I recently ...

Dear Bird Folks, I’m a new bird watcher who is particularly interested in woodpeckers. Right now my biggest challenge is trying to identify a Downy Woodpecker from a Hairy Woodpecker. I’m not sure ...

Now appearing at a bird feeder near you: the hairy woodpecker. It’s common, it’s cool, and it’s often misidentified because it looks so much like its smaller distant cousin, the downy woodpecker.

Our state's largest woodpecker, the crow-sized pileated woodpecker, has been heard of late. Listen for drumming on hollow branches and trunks of trees. The bird is announcing its territory. The birds ...

It’s not magic, it’s just a fact of life. Seven species of woodpecker call Illinois home … the downy woodpecker, the hairy woodpecker, the red-bellied woodpecker, the red-headed woodpecker, the ...