On seeing this almost-hidden sight in the shadowy woods Sunday, I immediately said to myself “hairy female.” I then had the pleasure of wondering what people who don’t use weird birder shorthand would think if I were to suddenly murmur “hairy female” in their company.
This, of course, is a female hairy woodpecker. “Hairies” get their name from their longer, stiff feathers that run down their backs somewhat like a ponytail hairdo. Here’s a Leighton Archive image of the red-daubed male:
If that bird that I saw Sunday were about three inches shorter with a slightly less pronounced bill, I probably would have thought “downy female,” meaning a female downy woodpecker. “Downies” are almost identical miniatures of “hairies”; however, the “downies’” ponytails appear to be softer and more kempt than those on their larger cousins. (Images taken October 23, 2022 [female] and August 23, 2014 [male].)