At an average length of 17 centimetres, the Downy Woodpecker is our smallest woodpecker in North America. Fortunately it is also our most common woodpecker and because it has a fairly friendly nature, it is most likely to be the first species of woodpecker you will notice in your yard.

Downy Woodpeckers are basically white below and black above with a wide vertical white stripe running down the middle of their backs. This distinctive stripe separates it from all other woodpeckers except the slightly larger Hairy Woodpecker. These woodpeckers use their bold black and white patterns to break up their appearance and make themselves look less like a bird and more like an inedible object. This effective camouflage helps them to elude predators such as the Sharp-shinned Hawk, which lives in the same habitats as the Downy.

Although most woodpeckers are semi-solitary in winter, the Downy loves to travel with Black-capped Chickadees; it will even occasionally share its nighttime roosting site allowing the chickadees to sleep with it.

Downy Woodpeckers could easily be called "wood tappers" as they find their food by tapping gently on the bark of trees. As they tap, they listen for a difference in pitch which usually indicates a hole under the bark. These hollow spots are normally made by wood boring insects, the favourite food of the Downy Woodpecker. To reach the insect they chisel through the bark and insert their very long tongues. Their special tongues are barbed and covered with a sticky substance which aids them in collecting the insects and their eggs. Due to their small size, Downy Woodpeckers will even hunt for food on corn stalks and are considered to be one of the major natural controls of the corn borer. Suet (rendered fat from beef, especially from around the kidneys) is by far the Downy's favourite backyard food, although they will eat sunflower seeds. Suet can be offered in a variety of feeders, from cages to suspended logs with holes drilled to receive the suet.

When you see a Downy Woodpecker, check to see if it is a male or female. Male Downys have a red spot on the back of their heads while the females do not. By watching their behaviour, you may notice that the male seems more of a dare-devil, often feeding higher up in the trees and further out on the branches.