Downy woodpecker

Downy woodpecker
Male
Female
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Piciformes
Family:	Picidae
Genus:	Dryobates
Species:	D. pubescens
Binomial name
Dryobates pubescens (Linnaeus, 1766)
Approximate distribution map   Year-round
Synonyms
Picus pubescens Linnaeus, 1766 Picoides pubescens (Linnaeus, 1766)

The downy woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens) is a species of woodpecker. It is the smallest in North America.

Subspecies

Seven subspecies are recognized:

• D. p. glacialis (Grinnell, 1910) – southeast Alaska
• D. p. medianus (Swainson, 1832) – central Alaska to east Canada and central and east USA
• D. p. fumidus (Maynard, 1889) – southwest Canada and west Washington
• D. p. gairdnerii (Audubon, 1839) – west Oregon to northwest California
• D. p. turati (Malherbe, 1860) – central Washington to central California
• D. p. leucurus (Hartlaub, 1852) – Rocky Mountains (southeast Alaska to southwest USA)
• D. p. pubescens (Linnaeus, 1766) – southeast USA

Gallery

• 
  An adult female walking in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
• 
  A downy woodpecker hanging upside down
• Feeding on suet
• 
  Male Dryobates pubescens in Overpeck Park, New Jersey, USA
• Downy woodpecker feeding chicks in New York City, USA
• 
  Female with a leaf caught on her bill in New York City
• 
  Male in New York City

Other websites

• Downy woodpecker - Picoides pubescens - USGS Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter
• Downy woodpecker Species Account - Cornell Lab of Ornithology
• Downy woodpecker Bird Sound at Florida Museum of Natural History