Downy Woodpecker Picoides pubescens
STANFORD LOCATIONS: Fairly common resident, breeding in a number of areas on campus.

Nest Location	Nest Type	Eggs Mating System	Dev. Parental Care	Primary & 2ndary Diet	Foraging Strategy
			MF I: 12 DAYS ALTRICIAL
3 feet - 50 feet	?	4-5 (3-6) MONOG	F: 20-25 DAYS MF

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BREEDING:	Decid and mixed decid-conif woodland, riparian woodland, parks, orchards. 1 brood in n, 2? in s.
DISPLAYS:	"Dancing," drumming, bill waving, crest raising used in territorial displays and with duetting in courtship. Stilted, floating flight occurs in both aggression and courtship.
NEST:	New hole yearly, entrance often camouflaged by surrounding fungus/lichen/moss. Lined with chips. Excavated in 13-20 days (avg 16). Female usu selects site.
EGGS:	White. 0.8" (19 mm).
DIET:	Insects (75 to 85%); fruit, seeds, sap from sapsucker holes.
CONSERVATION:	Resident. Occ uses birdhouse for roost but not for nest.
NOTES:	Pair initially hold large territory which shrinks after nest site selected and excavated. Male reportedly performs most of brooding. Fledglings dependent for up to 3 weeks. Sexes forage separately: males prefer small branches, upper canopy and branches <60o from horizontal. Other hole-nesting species may invade roosting holes or nests. Each bird excavates winter roost.
ESSAYS:	Island Biogeography; Bird Guilds; How Do We Find Out About Bird Biology?; Feeding Birds; Nonvocal Sounds; Mixed-Species Flocking; Territoriality.
REFERENCES:	Killiam, 1983; Lawrence, 1967; Short, 1982.

Help	Abbreviations	Species-Alphabetical	Species-Taxonomic	Essays-Alphabetical	Essays-Categorized
Except for Stanford Locations, the material in this species treatment is taken, with permission, from The Birder's Handbook (Paul Ehrlich, David Dobkin, & Darryl Wheye, Simon & Schuster, NY. 1988).