ML613612079

Dettagli dell'osservazione

This bird has been visiting our feeders pretty regularly lately and it doesn't look quite like the other DWs to me, so I have been taking some pics as a documentation and I think that it could be a hybrid. The first 4 pictures that I upload were taken yesterday, the others today. All of them were taken through a double window and against the light, so that the woodpecker wouldn't spot me immediately and fly away, hence the poor quality. The head of this bird looks bigger and more elongated (sort of flatter on top) than that of the other DWs and the bill is very long. In one of the pics, the bill was open (pic 5) and I was able to draw a line from the tip of the jaw to the point where the mouth opens. I then copied and pasted this line on the bird's head, showing that the proportions are those expected in a Hairy rather than a Downy, as the bill is as long as the head (pic 6). I tried to estimate this bird's total length based on the length of the suet cage and measurements taken on my PC' s monitor (6.9", pic 4). Also compared to my older pics of woodpeckers feeding on the same cage, this bird is smaller than a Hairy but it does seem a bit bigger than the other DWs. When seen dorsally, the outer tail feathers appear all white (I had initially IDed it as a Hairy), but a lateral view show the hint of some spots (first 4 pics). The spots are visible ventrally (last 4 pics), but they don't seem as strong as in regular DWs (see https://ebird.org/species/x00803). Update (01-17-2024): I was able to also record this bird's call, see Checklist S159173183.