Downy Woodpecker - Picoides pubescens

Downy Woodpecker undergoes an incomplete preformative molt and incomplete to complete prebasic molts, but has no prealternate molts. The resulting molt limits permit many individuals to be aged to at least TCB (TY). Downy Woodpeckers are generally easy to sex throughout the year.

Quick tips

• Check the head for red feathers - only FCJ (juveniles) have any on top of the crown (extensive in males, limited to absent in females); otherwise only males have a small spot on the hindcrown.
• Carefully examine the primary coverts, with a focus on retained brownish juvenile feathers. They are uniformly paler than adjacent tracts on FCF (HY/SY) birds until their second fall, then on SCB (SY/TY) birds the outermost primary coverts are contrastingly black until the following fall, after which they usually are uniformly black or a mix of black and blackish, indicating DCB (ASY/ATY).
• In summer to early fall, check p10 - in FCJ (juvenile) birds it is rounded and extends >7 mm beyond the primary coverts; on all older birds it is more narrow and pointed and extends 6 mm or less beyond the primary coverts.

Species account prepared by McGill Bird Observatory (2018). Last updated by Marcel Gahbauer (Mar 2022)