The Downy Woodpecker and the Hairy Woodpecker both have white backs rather than the black and white ladder found on the Red-cockaded Woodpecker. The Red-cockaded Woodpecker may be confused with other small black and white woodpeckers in the southeastern United States. Efforts to manage population viability on federal lands were started in 1985. The Red-cockaded Woodpecker has been listed as an Endangered Species by the U.S. Populations and suitable habitat are fragmented throughout southern Georgia and the rest of the southeastern United States. Family groups are highly social and forage closely together on the upper branches and trunks of pines for ants, beetles, and other insects. The woodpeckers peck holes around the cavity entrance to release the sticky resin, which helps deter predators such as rat snakes from invading the nest. It is approximately 250 mm (9.8 in) in length with a 380 mm (15 in) wingspan. Cavity trees of this species always have a cavity entrance in which the edges of the hole are thickly coated with pine sap or resin. The hairy woodpecker ( Leuconotopicus villosus) is a medium-sized woodpecker that is found over a large area of North America. The home range of each family group includes a cluster of cavity trees. They inhabit old pine forests with open understory maintained by frequent, natural lightening fires. Suitable habitat is very specific for these birds. Parents and helpers feed the nestlings, which fledge 26-29 days after hatching. Incubation lasts 10 days and is performed by the parents and sometimes by helpers. The breeding female lays 2-5 (average, 3) glossy white eggs. The nest is built in the breeding male's roost cavity, typically excavated 10-13 m ( 30-40 ft) above ground in pines that are very old (usually more than 80 years). Favored habitat is open, mature pine forest. Breeding season lasts from mid-April to late July.

The breeding pair is often accompanied by offspring from a previous year, known as 'helpers,' which assist their parents in many nesting activities. The birds live as family groups of 2 - 5 individuals. The Red-cockaded Woodpecker has an uncommon social system known as cooperative breeding. An exception to this trend is the downy woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens). These are small woodpeckers, 22 cm (8.5 in) from beak tip to tail tip. The small and conserved genomes of birds are likely a result of flight-related.

Males have a small red tuft behind the eye which is difficult to see. It perforates the bark of trees with uncommon regularity. If you watch its motions while in the woods, the orchard, or the garden, you will find it ever at work.

Belly and breast white, with black spots on the outer breast. The Downy Woodpecker, which is best known in all parts of the United States by the name of Sapsucker, is perhaps not surpassed by any of its tribe in hardiness, industry, or vivacity. Producer: John Kessler Managing Producer: Jason Saul Associate Producer: Ellen Blackstone © 2018 Tune In to Nature.Back and wings with a black and white ladder pattern. BirdNote’s theme music was composed and played by Nancy Rumbel and John Kessler. Recorded by Wil Hershberger and Francisco Rivas Fuenzalida. # Bird sounds provided by The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. BirdNote celebrates the everyday actions of our listeners and the work of our conservation partners to reverse the alarming decline in North American birds. Go outside this weekend and see a woodpecker hole for yourself. An aging trunk may reveal a long history of nest holes, deep lineages of woodpecker families. Most North American woodpeckers create a new cavity each spring. These birds usually breed only once each year and typically lay three to five eggs. The crow-sized Pileated Woodpecker may chip out a chamber **two feet** deep. The chamber of a tiny Downy Woodpecker descends about a foot from the opening. Just as woodpecker species vary greatly in size, so do cavities. The chamber must be carved deep enough to accommodate the growing family. Inside this private space, layered with wood chips, a pair of woodpeckers will lay eggs and raise a brood. The hole leads to the interior of the tree, a passageway to the nesting chamber carved below. What is unusual is seeing what lies beyond the opening. The bill is short for a woodpecker its length is approximately ½ to ¾ the length of the head. A white stripe extends down the length of the back and each wing is predominately black with rows of white spots. A roughly circular hole, chiseled by a woodpecker into the face of a tree trunk, is not an unusual sight in nature. A small black and white woodpecker approximately 2/3 the size of a robin. Written by Bob Sundstrom This is BirdNote.

Downy woodpecker class