Pacific Hairy and Downy Woodpecker

Many birds of the Pacific Northwest (although not all) are darker than their eastern relatives. Elsewhere in this blog, I mentioned that, despite their apparent similarity, Hairy and Downy woodpeckers are not closely related. Nevertheless, both woodpeckers are much darker here in Olympia than in Minnesota. In the first photo, the red top of the head is expected in a young, male Hairy Woodpecker, even in eastern birds. But note the gray underparts—these would be bright white further east. The Downy Woodpecker in the second image is even darker. Also compared to eastern birds, both woodpeckers have fewer white spots on their backs. Obviously something favors this melanism, and even unrelated species are responding to this evolutionary pressure. We banded both of these woodpeckers in our Olympia backyard—the Hairy on 1 June and the Downy on 2 June 2019.