HAIRY WOODPECKER (Dendrocopos villosus) 



Woodpeckers fill a special niche in the delicate balance of the forest com- 

 munity. The largest item of their diet is the larvae of wood-boring beetles. 

 The hairy woodpecker is a valuable predator of the western pine bark 

 beetle. Easily confused with the nearly identically marked downy wood- 

 pecker, the hairy woodpecker can be distinguished from its smaller cousin 

 by its larger size, larger and stouter bill, and lower pitched call. Like all 

 woodpeckers, the hairy woodpecker has a powerful neck, a bony skull and 

 a long, slender extensible tongue. Barbs on the tip of the tongue help pull 

 insects and grubs from burrows in the tree. Hairy woodpeckers are com- 

 mon residents of the lodgepole pine/spruce-fir complexes in both parks. 



Hairy Woodpecker 



Alan G. Nelson 



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