SongLark
Bird call
Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens) call
A soft, flat pik and a whinnying rattle that falls in pitch toward the end.
Listen to the Downy Woodpecker call
A field recording of the Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens) by Jeff Ward, shared on iNaturalist. Listen for the Downy Woodpecker in garden and woodland habitats.
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Sounds similar
Birds that sound similar to the Downy Woodpecker
These birds belong to the woodpecker family, like the Downy Woodpecker, so their calls can sound alike.
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Northern Flicker Colaptes auratus
A loud descending kee-yer and a long, even wick-wick-wick series.
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Pileated Woodpecker Dryocopus pileatus
A loud, wild, ringing wuk-wuk-wuk-wuk that rises and falls, and slow, deep drumming.
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Red-bellied Woodpecker Melanerpes carolinus
A rolling, throaty kwirr or churr, repeated from the trunk.
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Acorn Woodpecker Melanerpes formicivorus
A laughing waka-waka-waka, several birds answering each other.
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Nuttall's Woodpecker Dryobates nuttallii
A rattling descending series and a sharp pitik; a California oak specialist.
Questions
Questions about the Downy Woodpecker
What does the Downy Woodpecker sound like?
A soft, flat pik and a whinnying rattle that falls in pitch toward the end. Listen to the recording above.
Which birds sound like the Downy Woodpecker?
Northern Flicker, Pileated Woodpecker, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Acorn Woodpecker and Nuttall's Woodpecker sound similar.
Where can I hear the Downy Woodpecker?
SongLark teaches it in two courses: Birds of the Pacific Northwest and Birds of Eastern North America.
How can I learn the Downy Woodpecker call?
In SongLark's Birds of the Pacific Northwest course, it comes in Level 2: Parks & Winter Flocks. SongLark teaches it by ear with real field recordings.
Courses
Learn this call in
SongLark teaches the Downy Woodpecker in two courses: Birds of the Pacific Northwest and Birds of Eastern North America. Each course plays real field recordings and brings every bird back for review just before you would forget it.
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Birds of the Pacific Northwest54 birds · United States
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Birds of Eastern North America65 birds · United States
- In Birds of the Pacific Northwest, the Downy Woodpecker comes in Level 2: Parks & Winter Flocks. That Level is about city parks, greenbelts and the birds that arrive for winter.
- In Birds of Eastern North America, the Downy Woodpecker comes in Level 2: Suburb & Park. That Level is about lawns, hedges and city streets.
Learn it with these birds in Level 2 of Birds of the Pacific Northwest
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Bushtit Psaltriparus minimus
Thin, constant sit sit contact notes from a moving flock; no real song.
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Bewick's Wren Thryomanes bewickii
Buzzy introductory notes then a clear trill; a dry scolding rasp.
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Red-breasted Nuthatch Sitta canadensis
A nasal, tinny yank-yank, like a toy horn, repeated from high in the conifers.
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Cedar Waxwing Bombycilla cedrorum
Flocks give very high, thin, lisping sreee notes, almost too high to hear.
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White-crowned Sparrow Zonotrichia leucophrys
Clear whistle then a buzzy jumble. San Francisco birds sing a local dialect.
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Golden-crowned Sparrow Zonotrichia atricapilla
Three plaintive descending whistles, oh dear me; a winter arrival.
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Pine Siskin Spinus pinus
A rising, buzzy zreeeee and twittering chatter from flocks at feeders and in the treetops.
Get SongLark
Learn Downy Woodpecker in SongLark
Install SongLark, sign in, and choose a course that teaches the Downy Woodpecker.
- Your first course is free. When you first sign in, you choose one course to keep.
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- One account, every device. Your progress syncs between devices.