Helen Jefferson Lenskyj, Ph.D., · Jun 2

downy is about the size of your fist, red spot, chevron-like black and white markings on wings, hairy is bigger, doesn't have these features

Amy Law · Jun 1

Beak is too long to be a downy. Also, downies have *downy* feathers where its beak joins its head. Both the Merlin app and the Audubon Bird Guide apps are invaluable for figuring birds out. Try them out!

Pamela Fiore... and live alone in the bee-loud glade · Jun 2

all i know is one is bigger than the other. but i can never remember which one.

Jan Casavant · Jun 1

Hi! I think it's a Hairy because of the long beak and the way the black feathers curve down from the neck into the white chest feathers. Even though we might not see them much in Mass., they're listed as common year round. I've seen both together in the same tree at the Audubon in Norfolk.

🇨🇦 Kari Raymer Bishop · Jun 1

I would guess hairy because of the long beak, but it's hard to tell if you don't have a downy there for comparison 😆

@rebeccaonbluesky.bsky.social · Jun 2

Definitely a hairy. When you see a downy woodpecker the beak is just proportionally way smaller.

@bluebird1010.bsky.social · Jun 1

I recommend Merlin bird ID, it's free and easy with just a little input on thier app, ran by Cornell Dept of Orinthology.