Listen to the Hairy woodpecker
Tip: press play to see the sound's live frequency spectrum in blue over the waveform.
About the Hairy woodpecker
The Hairy woodpecker is a bird in the family Picidae (order Piciformes). Its conservation status on the IUCN Red List is “least concern”. Adults have a wingspan of about 38 cm.
What does the Hairy woodpecker sound like?
Birds produce sound with the syrinx, a vocal organ deep in the chest that can make two independent sounds at once. Songs tend to be long and patterned and are used to hold territory and attract a mate; calls are short signals for contact, alarm and flight.
The recordings here are labelled as picoides villosus. Listen for differences in rhythm, pitch and repetition – the spectrum display makes it easy to see whether a sound is a pure whistle (a thin line), a harsh call (a broad band) or a trill (rapid repeated marks).
From Wikipedia
The hairy woodpecker (Leuconotopicus villosus) is a medium-sized woodpecker that is found over a large area of North America. It is approximately 250 mm (9.8 in) in length with a 380 mm (15 in) wingspan. With an estimated population in 2020 of almost nine million individuals, the hairy woodpecker is listed by the IUCN as a species of least concern. The species was previously placed in the genus Dryobates.
More from the family Picidae
Great spotted woodpecker
Dendrocopos major
Black woodpecker
Dryocopus martius
Eurasian wryneck
Jynx torquilla
European green woodpecker
Picus viridis
Lesser spotted woodpecker
Dryobates minor
Grey-headed woodpecker
Picus canus
Eurasian three-toed woodpecker
Picoides tridactylus
Northern flicker
Colaptes auratus
Pileated woodpecker
Dryocopus pileatus
Black-rumped flameback
Dinopium benghalense
Red-headed woodpecker
Melanerpes erythrocephalus
Acorn woodpecker
Melanerpes formicivorus
Frequently asked questions
What does a Hairy woodpecker sound like?
You can hear 1 recording of the Hairy woodpecker on this page, including its picoides villosus. Birds produce sound with the syrinx, a vocal organ deep in the chest that can make two independent sounds at once.
Is the Hairy woodpecker endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Hairy woodpecker as “least concern”.
What family does the Hairy woodpecker belong to?
The Hairy woodpecker (Leuconotopicus villosus) belongs to the family Picidae in the order Piciformes.
Sources & credits
- Picoides villosus – Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
- Wikidata Q27074928 – CC0
- Wikipedia: Hairy woodpecker – CC BY-SA 4.0
- Photo by Mdf – CC BY-SA 3.0