Calls
- Peek, Rattle, Drum
Recorded by Geoffrey A. Keller; Robert C. Stein; Geoffrey A. Keller
- Peek note
Recorded by Geoffrey A. Keller
Oregon June 1989
- Peek note and rattle call
Recorded by Geoffrey A. Keller
California May 2002
- Series of squeaky cheek notes
Recorded by Geoffrey A. Keller
California April 2001
- Chicks begging for food at nest
Recorded by David S. Herr
California June 1994
Courtesy of Macaulay Library
© Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
The most common call of the Hairy Woodpecker is a short, sharp peek note very similar to Downy Woodpeckers, but slightly lower pitched and often sounding more emphatic. Hairy Woodpeckers also make a rattle or whinny. This call is also similar to the Downy Woodpecker but does not descend in pitch at the end.
Other
Both males and females drum on trees year round. The drum is rapid and evenly paced, about 1 second long and consisting of about 26 beats. It’s a mode of communication – like a songbird’s song – rather than an attempt to drill into the wood, which is why woodpeckers sometimes drum on metal objects. Either sex may drum for several reasons: to establish and defend a territory, as part of courtship, to solicit mating, to summon a mate, or in response to an intruder. Excited Hairy Woodpeckers also produce a brr noise with their wings in flight.
Backyard Tips
To bring Hairy Woodpeckers into your yard, try setting up suet, peanut, and black oil sunflower feeders, especially in the winter when food is scarce. If you have dead trees in your yard, or dead parts in a living tree, and if it’s safe to leave them standing, a pair of Hairy Woodpeckers might try to start a family there. In later years, their hole might become a home for wrens, chickadees, nuthatches, bluebirds, or flying squirrels.
Find This Bird
You can find Hairy Woodpeckers by scanning the trunks and main branches of large trees, looking for a boldly patterned black-and-white bird. Also listen for their abrupt whinny or their explosive peek call. When Hairy Woodpeckers are foraging busily, you can often hear their energetic tapping if you stand quietly.