Downy Woodpecker

Downy Woodpecker on a small branch among several other branches. It appears to have an insect larvae in its beak.
Downy Woodpecker, Mineral Wells State Park, Mineral Wells, TX, September 5, 2021
Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Tamron 150-600 mm lens; 600 mm; ISO-3200; f/9; 1/640 sec.

This page is for the Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens). This species is fairly common but seems to be a bit shy as I have had difficulty getting it to sit still enough and in a open enough space to get a good picture of it. February 16, 2015 photo is my first photographic evidence of this bird, in the small woods behind our house in Kentucky. The best photograph I have taken of the Downy Woodpecker to date (above) was from September 9, 2021 at the Mineral Wells State Park, Mineral Wells, TX.

The following photographs are the best representative images from different dates and locations than my species representative example.

Downy Woodpecker on a small branch that has snow on it.
Downy Woodpecker, Murray KY House, Murray, KY, February 16, 2015
Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Canon 18-135 mm lens; 135 mm; ISO-100; f/7.1; 1/320 sec.
Downy Woodpecker on a large tree limb.
Downy Woodpecker, Clear Fork of the Trinity River at Hulen St., Fort Worth, TX, December 4, 2021
Canon EOS 5DS R with Tamron 24-70 mm lens; 70 mm; ISO-100; f/4.5; 1/2000 sec.
Downy Woodpecker on a small tree limb leaning to the left with many smaller branches around. The trees have no leaves.
Downy Woodpecker, Vista Heights Park, Fort Worth, TX, December 23, 2021
Canon EOS 5DS R with Tamron 24-70 mm lens; 70 mm; ISO-100; f/5; 1/800 sec.
Downy Woodpecker on a large tree and is partly obscured by the tree.
Downy Woodpecker, Fort Worth Nature Preserve River Road, Fort Worth, TX, January 2, 2022
Canon EOS 5DS R with Tamron 150-600 mm lens; 600 mm; ISO-1000; f/7.1; 1/1250 sec.
Downy Woodpecker sitting on the side of a large tree.
Downy Woodpecker, Fort Worth Nature Preserve Trail to Dead End, Fort Worth, TX, January 4, 2022
Canon EOS 5DS R with Tamron 150-600 mm lens; 600 mm; ISO-6400; f/6.3; 1/2500 sec.
Downy Woodpecker hanging upside down from a tree limb.
Downy Woodpecker, Fort Worth Nature Preserve River Road, Fort Worth, TX, February 6, 2022
Canon EOS 5DS R with Tamron 150-600 mm lens; 600 mm; ISO-2000; f/6.3; 1/3200 sec.
Downy Woodpecker hanging upside down from a tree limb.
Downy Woodpecker, Fort Worth Nature Preserve Shoreline Road, Fort Worth, TX, February 12, 2022
Canon EOS 5DS R with Tamron 150-600 mm lens; 600 mm; ISO-3200; f/6.3; 1/2000 sec.
Downy Woodpecker pecking on a small tree branch.
Downy Woodpecker, Colleyville Nature Center, Colleyville, TX, February 13, 2022
Canon EOS Rebel T3i with Tamron 150-600 mm lens; 350 mm; ISO-100; f/7.1; 1/320 sec.
Two Downy Woodpeckers on a branch looking toward the sky.
Downy Woodpecker, Colleyville Nature Center, Colleyville, TX, March 5, 2022
Canon EOS 5DS R with Tamron 150-600 mm lens; 600 mm; ISO-2000; f/7.1; 1/250 sec.
Downy Woodpecker on a vertical branch, looking to the left.
Downy Woodpecker, Colleyville Nature Center, Colleyville, TX, March 12, 2022
Canon EOS 5DS R with Tamron 150-600 mm lens; 600 mm; ISO-640; f/7.1; 1/1000 sec.
Downy Woodpecker on a tree limb.
Downy Woodpecker, Clear Fork Trinity River and Bellaire, Fort Worth, TX, April 3, 2022
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens; 500 mm; ISO-640; f/7.1; 1/1250 sec.
Downy Woodpecker perched on a vertical tree branch.
Downy Woodpecker, Colleyville Nature Center, Colleyville, TX, May 8, 2022
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x Teleconverter; 700 mm; ISO-200; f/10; 1/1000 sec.
Downy Woodpecker on the side of a tree looking into where a branch had broken off the tree.
Downy Woodpecker, Colleyville Nature Center, Colleyville, TX, May 15, 2022
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x Teleconverter; 700 mm; ISO-8000; f/10; 1/1000 sec.
Downy Woodpecker perched near the top of a dead tree.
Downy Woodpecker, Colleyville Nature Center, Colleyville, TX, June 18, 2022
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x Teleconverter; 700 mm; ISO-1000; f/10; 1/2000 sec.
Downy Woodpecker perched near the top of a tree and looking over its right shoulder.
Downy Woodpecker, Fort Worth Nature Preserve, Fort Worth, TX, July 2, 2022
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x Teleconverter; 700 mm; ISO-800; f/11; 1/800 sec.
Downy Woodpecker on a tree limb in the woods, looking away from the camera.
Downy Woodpecker, Fort Worth Nature Preserve, Fort Worth, TX, July 10, 2022
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x Teleconverter; 700 mm; ISO-3200; f/10; 1/500 sec.
Downy Woodpecker on the side of a tree looking for a place to dig for food.
Downy Woodpecker, Fort Worth Nature Preserve, Fort Worth, TX, August 14 2022
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x Teleconverter; 700 mm; ISO-6400; f/10; 1/800 sec.
Downy Woodpecker on the side of a tree.
Downy Woodpecker, Red Slough WMA, Idabel, OK, September 13, 2022
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x Teleconverter; 420 mm; ISO-125; f/8; 1/200 sec.
Downy Woodpecker sitting on a decaying tree branch.
Downy Woodpecker, Tishomingo NWR, Tishomingo, OK, September 14, 2022
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x Teleconverter; 700 mm; ISO-2000; f/10; 1/500 sec.
Downy Woodpecker ready to peck on a tree branch.
Downy Woodpecker, Colleyville Nature Center, Colleyville, TX, December 17, 2022
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x Teleconverter; 700 mm; ISO-800; f/11; 1/640 sec.
Downy Woodpecker on a fairly large tree limb seemingly contemplating whether or not to start pecking on the tree.
Downy Woodpecker, Mustang Park, Benbrook, TX, January 16, 2023
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x Teleconverter; 700 mm; ISO-4000; f/10; 1/800 sec.
Downy Woodpecker on the side of a tree thinking about banging its head on the tree.
Downy Woodpecker, Colleyville Nature Center, Colleyville, TX, March 11, 2023
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x Teleconverter; 700 mm; ISO-250; f/10; 1/250 sec.
Female Downy Woodpecker on the side of a tree.
Downy Woodpecker, Fort Worth Nature Preserve, Fort Worth, TX, April 1, 2023
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 2.0x Teleconverter; 1000 mm; ISO-12,800; f/14; 1/640 sec.
Downy Woodpecker looking at a hole it just made in the side of a tree.
Downy Woodpecker, Bill Jarvis Migratory Bird Sanctuary, Chicago, IL April 12, 2023
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x Teleconverter; 700 mm; ISO-500; f/10; 1/640 sec.
Male Downy Woodpecker perched on a dead tree branch and looking away from the camera.
Downy Woodpecker, Montrose Point Bird Sanctuary, Chicago, IL April 12, 2023
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x Teleconverter; 700 mm; ISO-6400; f/11; 1/800 sec.
Female Downy Woodpecker carving a nest in an old limb scar.
Downy Woodpecker, Navy Pier, Chicago, IL April 14, 2023
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x Teleconverter; 700 mm; ISO-800; f/11; 1/800 sec.
Female Downy Woodpecker on the side of a tree at a removed limb scar.
Downy Woodpecker, Navy Pier, Chicago, IL April 14, 2023
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x Teleconverter; 700 mm; ISO-2000; f/10; 1/800 sec.
Downy Woodpecker on the side of a tree and looking to the side.
Downy Woodpecker, San Joaquin Marsh, Irvine, CA, June 20, 2023
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x Teleconverter; 700 mm; ISO-500; f/10; 1/800 sec.
Downy Woodpecker on a metal cage surrounding a block of food.
Downy Woodpecker, Vista West, Fort Worth, TX, January 15, 2024
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x Teleconverter; 700 mm; ISO-2500; f/11; 1/500 sec.
Downy Woodpecker on the side of a medium-sized tree branch.
Downy Woodpecker, Colleyville Nature Center, Colleyville, TX, May 4, 2024
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x Teleconverter; 700 mm; ISO-51,200; f/10; 1/2000 sec.
Downy Woodpecker perched on a tree branch.
Downy Woodpecker, Central Park, New York City, NY, August 31, 2024
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x teleconverter; 700 mm; ISO-25,600; f/11; 1/800 sec. +1 Exposure Bias
Downy Woodpecker perched on the side of a tree.
Downy Woodpecker, Minneapolis, MN, January 16, 2025
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x teleconverter; 700 mm; ISO-100; f/13; 1/30 sec.
Male Downy Woodpecker standing on the side of a tree.
Downy Woodpecker, Sax-Zim Bog, Cotton, MN, January 17, 2025
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x teleconverter; 700 mm; ISO-10,000; f/11; 1/1000 sec.
Female Downy Woodpecker perched on the side of a tree.
Downy Woodpecker, Sax-Zim Bog, Cotton, MN, January 17, 2025
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x teleconverter; 700 mm; ISO-2000; f/11; 1/1000 sec.
Male Downy Woodpecker eating at a feeder.
Downy Woodpecker, Grand Marais, MN, January 19, 2025
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x teleconverter; 700 mm; ISO-20,000; f/11; 1/800 sec.
Female Downy Woodpecker perched on the side of a tree.
Downy Woodpecker, Grand Marais, MN, January 19, 2025
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x teleconverter; 700 mm; ISO-800; f/11; 1/800 sec.
Male Downy Woodpecker about to eat from a feeder on a tree.
Downy Woodpecker, Sax-Zim Bog, Cotton, MN, January 20, 2025
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x teleconverter; 700 mm; ISO-1600; f/11; 1/800 sec.
Male Downy Woodpecker perched on a dead tree with a Black-capped Chickadee above it on the same tree.
Downy Woodpecker, Sax-Zim Bog, Cotton, MN, January 20, 2025
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x teleconverter; 700 mm; ISO-1600; f/11; 1/800 sec.