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Weekly Puzzler #199:A Woodpecker with a White Back

We’re on a roll here with birds that are likely to visit your bird feeders, so let’s go ahead and do another. It’s pretty likely you’ve seen this next bird, maybe at your bird feeder or out in the woods on a tree trunk.

Here’s a photo:

What bird is this?

Do you recognize it? Here’s another where you can see the white back.

This bird has a white back.

If you know the identity of this bird, or if you don’t and want to guess, I’d love to hear from you! Use the comment box below to give your guess.

Happy weekend. Don’t forget to make time to be outside–you may get to see some of these birds we’ve been talking about!

12 thoughts on “Weekly Puzzler #199:A Woodpecker with a White Back

    1. Sharon Mammoser says:

      Hey Jock, thanks for the guess! It is a hard puzzler this week as two birds are VERY similar, but this bird is not a downy woodpecker. Thanks for reading!

    1. Sharon Mammoser says:

      Arden, you are not alone in thinking it is a downy woodpecker… but it is the look-alike bird with the longer bill.

  1. Murray Palmer says:

    Hi, Sharon, Puzzler 199 is a Downy Woodpecker, a give away if one sees black markings on its outer white tail feathers, if the proportion of the beak in relation to the skull is hard to judge.

    1. Sharon Mammoser says:

      Hey Murray, Hope you are having a good weekend. Has spring arrived there yet? This puzzler is a bit on the tricky side because, as you know, there are two birds that look VERY similar, with the only difference being the length of their bill. The photo is not of a downy woodpecker.

  2. If I measure his bill against the size of his head………. looking like it might be a not so downy woodpecker

    1. Sharon Mammoser says:

      Of course my most favorite birder would know the answer to this question! These two look-alike birds are hard to tell apart, even though I know to look at the length of the bill. Thanks for reading!

    1. Sharon Mammoser says:

      Helen, that is a great guess as this week’s puzzler is pretty hard considering that there are two birds that look nearly identical, with the only difference being that one has a longer bill and is a bit larger than the other. It is not a downy woodpecker. Thanks for reading, and for taking the time to comment! Happy weekend.

    1. Sharon Mammoser says:

      Margaret, you are correct! Thanks for reading and taking the time to comment!

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