CreatureData

Downy woodpecker

Dryobates pubescens (Linnaeus, 1766)

LCLeast Concernbirds

The downy woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens) is a species in the family Picidae, order Piciformes. Recorded adults weigh 25.6 g to 28 g and live up to 11.7 years. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

Downy woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens)
Photo: Wolfgang Wander · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the downy woodpecker

Weight
25.6 g – 28 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Wingspan
30.2 cm – 31.4 cmsrc for Wingspan
Lifespan
11.7 yearssrc for Lifespan
Diet
Invertivoresrc for Diet
Longest recorded lifespan
11.9 years
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
woodlandsrc for Habitat
Egg incubation
12 dayssrc for Egg incubation
Young per litter or clutch
4.8src for Young per litter or clutch
Age at maturity
12 monthssrc for Age at maturity
Litters or clutches a year
1.25src for Litters or clutches a year
Lifestyle
Perchingsrc for Lifestyle
Migration
Sedentarysrc for Migration
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

How big is the downy woodpecker?

DOWNY WOODPECKER · WINGSPAN 31.4 CMADULT HUMAN · HEIGHT 1.7 M
At 31.4 cm, the recorded maximum wingspan of the downy woodpecker is about 18% of the height of an adult human (1.7 m, a fixed reference used for scale).

Photos of the downy woodpecker

Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.

Downy woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens)
Cosmic Pomegranate · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Where does the downy woodpecker live?

Not recorded

What is the downy woodpecker?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The downy woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens) is a species of woodpecker, the smallest in North America. Its length ranges from 14 to 18 cm (5.5 to 7.1 in). Downy woodpeckers primarily live in forested areas throughout the United States and Canada, with the exception of deserts in the southwest and the northern tundra. The bird nests in tree cavities and feeds primarily on insects, although it supplements its diet with seeds and berries. The downy woodpecker is very similar in appearance to the hairy woodpecker, although they are not closely related.

From the Wikipedia article “Downy woodpecker” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Downy_woodpecker&oldid=1383244082), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

What does the downy woodpecker sound like?

Jonathon Jongsma · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Is the downy woodpecker endangered?

The downy woodpecker is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species. What the categories mean.

How is the downy woodpecker classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderPiciformes
  5. familyPicidae
  6. genusDryobates
  7. SpeciesDryobates pubescens (Linnaeus, 1766)

Synonyms Dendrocopos pubescens, Picoides pubescens, Picus lecontei, Picus pubescens

Other names and names in other languages (43)
  • Picot garser beccurtCatalan
  • picot garser bec-curtCatalan
  • ᏥᏍᏇᏄᏨCherokee
  • strakapoud osikovýCzech
  • cnocell wlanogWelsh
  • DværgflagspætteDanish
  • DunenspechtGerman
  • lanuga pegoEsperanto
  • Strivizaĝa buntpegoEsperanto
  • Pico pubescenteSpanish
  • Carpintero Albinegro MenorSpanish
  • Carpintero velloso-menorSpanish
  • haava-kirjurähnEstonian
  • دارکوب لطیفپرPersian
  • keijutikkaFinnish
  • Pic mineurFrench
  • Cnagaire clúmhachIrish
  • bjelotrbi djetlićCroatian
  • pehelyharkályHungarian
  • Picchio vellutatoItalian
  • Picchio lanuginosoItalian
  • セジロコゲラJapanese
  • 솜털딱따구리Korean
  • pūkuotasis genysLithuanian
  • pusaugu dzenisLatvian
  • ഡൗണി മരംകൊത്തിMalayalam
  • Tsįįłkaałii yilzhólígííNavajo
  • DonsspechtDutch
  • BaapaaseOjibwa
  • dzięcioł kosmatyPolish
  • ڈاؤنی چڑی ترکھانWestern Panjabi
  • pica-pau-felpudoPortuguese
  • pica-pau-galego-americanoPortuguese
  • Пушистый дятелRussian
  • ďateľ ozdobnýSlovak
  • пухасти детлићSerbian
  • Američki mali detlićSerbian
  • dunspettSwedish
  • Yumuşak Tüylü AğaçkakanTurkish
  • дятел пухнастийUkrainian
  • 絨啄木Chinese
  • 絨啄木鳥Chinese
  • 绒啄木鸟Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistTAXREFWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List

Relatives of the downy woodpecker

Other species in the same genus Dryobates.

CompareDowny woodpecker vs Lesser spotted woodpeckerDowny woodpecker vs Crimson-naped woodpeckerDowny woodpecker vs Ladder-backed woodpeckerDowny woodpecker vs Nuttall's woodpecker

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the downy woodpecker?

An adult downy woodpecker weighs 25.6 g – 28 g and has a wingspan of 30.2 cm – 31.4 cm, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the downy woodpecker endangered?

The downy woodpecker is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.

How long does the downy woodpecker live?

The downy woodpecker has a recorded lifespan of 11.7 years.

What kind of animal is the downy woodpecker?

The downy woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens) belongs to the family Picidae in the order Piciformes.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Downy woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/downy-woodpecker

MLA

“Downy woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/downy-woodpecker.

BibTeX
@misc{downy_woodpecker_2026,
  title = {Downy woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/downy-woodpecker},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}