HOME BIRDS 43 



The male Downy wears a red band across the 

 back of his head. In the female this band is white. 

 Downy is with us throughout the year and therefore 

 belongs in the class of Permanent Residents. 



Hairy Woodpecker 

 {Figs. 28, 2g) 



The old proverb tells us that "birds of a feather 

 flock together," but we shall learn that birds may 

 be almost of a feather and still not seek each other's 

 society. The only feathers worn by the Downy and 

 Hairy Woodpeckers which are not alike are those 

 on each side of the tail. The Downy has these 

 feathers white with small black bars, but in the Hairy 

 they are white without black bars. 



These differences are so slight that it would be 

 difficult to distinguish one bird from the other were 

 not the Hairy much the larger of the two. 



In spite of their close resemblance. Downy is 

 much more often seen with his distant relative, the 

 White-breasted Nuthatch, than he is with his cousin, 

 the Hairy. The latter is not only less common, but 

 he prefers the woods to our gardens ; two good rea- 

 sons why he is less often seen than the Downy, 



His voice is like that of the Downy, but is no- 



