Hairy Woodpecker Sounds

Overview
ID info
Life History
Maps
Sounds

Calls (Eastern)
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New York, February 23, 2020Recorded by Jay McGowan / Macaulay Library
Calls (Eastern)
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Maryland, June 08, 1997Recorded by Wil Hershberger / Macaulay Library
Calls (Eastern)
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West Virginia, July 13, 2018Recorded by Wil Hershberger / Macaulay Library
Calls (Eastern)
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New York, March 05, 2020Recorded by Jay McGowan / Macaulay Library
Drum (Eastern)
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New York, February 23, 2020Recorded by Jay McGowan / Macaulay Library
Calls (Rocky Mts.)
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California, June 15, 1990Recorded by Kevin J. Colver / Macaulay Library
Calls (Rocky Mts.)
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California, May 30, 2002Recorded by Geoffrey A. Keller / Macaulay Library
Calls (Rocky Mts.)
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California, June 07, 2013Recorded by Randolph Little / Macaulay Library
Drum (Rocky Mts.)
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California, June 06, 2013Recorded by Gregory Budney / Macaulay Library
Calls (Pacific)
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Oregon, June 10, 1989Recorded by Geoffrey A. Keller / Macaulay Library
Calls (Pacific)
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British Columbia, May 23, 1962Recorded by William W. H. Gunn / Macaulay Library
Calls (South Mexican)
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Chiapas, April 17, 1993Recorded by Charles Duncan / Macaulay Library
Calls (South Mexican)
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Oaxaca, April 04, 2019Recorded by Jay McGowan / Macaulay Library
Drum (South Mexican)
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Francisco Morazán, December 16, 2017Recorded by Alfonso Auerbach / Macaulay Library
Calls (Costa Rican)
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San José, August 08, 1997Recorded by David L. Ross, Jr. / Macaulay Library
Calls (Costa Rican)
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San José, January 24, 2017Recorded by Jay McGowan / Macaulay Library
Drum (Costa Rican)
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San José, August 08, 1997Recorded by David L. Ross, Jr. / Macaulay Library
Juvenile calls
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California, June 12, 1990Recorded by Gregory Budney / Macaulay Library

Sounds provided by Macaulay Library.
Listen to more sounds of this species from the ML archive.

Calls

The most common call of the Hairy Woodpecker is a short, sharp peek note very similar to Downy Woodpeckers, but slightly lower pitched and often sounding more emphatic. Hairy Woodpeckers also make a rattle or whinny. This call is also similar to the Downy Woodpecker but does not descend in pitch at the end.

Other Sounds

Both males and females drum on trees year round. The drum is rapid and evenly paced, about 1 second long and consisting of about 26 beats. It’s a mode of communication – like a songbird’s song – rather than an attempt to drill into the wood, which is why woodpeckers sometimes drum on metal objects. Either sex may drum for several reasons: to establish and defend a territory, as part of courtship, to solicit mating, to summon a mate, or in response to an intruder. Excited Hairy Woodpeckers also produce a brr noise with their wings in flight.