THE DOWNY WOODPECKER 
By T. GILBERT PEARSON 
The National Association of Audubon Societies 
Educational Leaflet No. 55 
Downy at Dinner 
Photographed by Carl E. Purple 
A cheery little neighbor of 
mine lives near me, among the trees 
of a grove, whom I should like to 
have all my friends meet. He is a 
little Downy Woodpecker. White 
spots are scattered over his black 
wings, and there is just a stripe 
of red across the top of his black 
cap. I am sure you would know 
him by his small size, his colors, 
and his trustful manner. He is not 
at all suspicious, and when he is 
hard at work will usually allow 
one to approach quite close to him. 
If you will tie a piece of suet to the 
limb of a tree, as Mr. Purple had 
done before he made the photograph 
shown on this page. Downy will 
come to see you day after day, 
especially in winter, when he is exceedingly glad of your bounty. 
He is a quiet, modest, little creature who never does anyone harm, 
and so far as known has few enemies, the most alarming one being 
the snake that robs his nest. 
Downy is the smallest as well as the most active of our woodpeckers, 
and appears to be always busy. Often we may see him climbing up the 
huge trunk of some old oak-tree, pausing a second here and there to rap 
on the bark with his bill to learn whether the wood is solid. Again 
he will pause as the peculiar sound given back from 
his tap indicates that an insect is lurking within. Then Sounding 
the resounding blows of his little pickaxe fall thick the Trees 
and fast, sending the chips in every direction. 
In vain does the larva feasting on the sap of the tree retreat into 
its hole. A gleam of daylight shoots into the burrow, and an instant 
later the spear-like tongue of the Woodpecker has impaled its victim and 
jerked it forth. Then on up the tree Downy goes, perhaps without 
further incident until well among the limbs, when suddenly he flies to 
a neighboring tree, dropping as he does so to a point near its base, and 
begins to ascend this trunk as he did the one before. 
