Like most of our woodpeckers, the Hairy Woodpecker is a bird of the forest. This woodpecker is a highly sedentary species which means it rarely migrates, choosing instead to engage in winter movements. Those winter movements often bring them closer to cities and towns making the Hairy the second most common backyard woodpecker, only the smaller, similar looking Downy Woodpecker visits yards more regularly.

The best way to tell these two species apart is to note the relatively longer bill of the hairy and its larger overall body size. If you find it difficult to judge proportions, try looking at the white outer tail feathers of these birds. Most Hairy Woodpeckers have pure white outer tail feathers while most Downys show black spots or bars on theirs. When I was first learning about birds, to help myself remember their differences I made up nicknames for these birds. I called them "Huge Hairy" and "Dirty Downy".

The Hairy Woodpecker received its name back in the early days of bird watching when birds could only be identified when they were held in the hand. Early observers noticed that the feathers of these woodpeckers were very hairy feeling in comparison to the downy feeling feathers of the Downy Woodpecker.

In Nova Scotia late February marks the beginning of the courtship period for Hairy Woodpeckers. When you discover that a male and female Hairy start to spend more time together, watch for them to begin to exhibit courtship behaviour. Part of the courtship rituals involve them facing each other on a horizontal branch and energetically bobbing their heads up and down. Next they point their heads skyward and swish their bills rapidly through the air. As they swing their beaks from side to side it looks almost as if they are engaging in imaginary sword play. As you get to know the Hairy Woodpecker better, you may notice that it is shyer than the Downy but more active and noisier. The two calls it uses the most are a loud sharp "peek" note and an even louder kingfisher-like rattle.