![]() They don’t dig or peck into the wood but find insects crawling around on the bark. Named for Lewis Merryweather of Lewis and Clark fame, this woodpecker only hangs out in western and southern Montana during the breeding season. This medium-sized bird lives across the western half of the US, migrating from the northern part of the country to the southern part during the winter. They also face pressure from invasive birds like European starlings, which steal their nesting spots. Populations have been declining in the past few decades because they’re losing their habitat. Since Montana has had many wildfires in recent years, they can be easier to spot in those areas rather than in cities. Research published in The Journal of Wildlife Management found that they prefer forests that have been recently burned because there is abundant food for them there. They make their homes in the cavities of dead trees. Like their cousin, the downy woodpecker, hairy woodpeckers don’t migrate during the cold weather and stay in the same place all year. They also visit suet feeders in suburban backyards. You can see them in parks, suburban areas, cemeteries, and other quiet wooded or open areas. These pretty woodpeckers aren’t as common in Montana as the downy woodpecker, but they’re still pretty easy to find. They’re black and white, and you can tell the genders from one another because the adult males have a little red spot on the back of their heads. They also have longer bills, almost the same length as their head. Hairy woodpeckers look very similar to downy woodpeckers, but they’re much larger than their cousins. They’re also small enough that they often make nests in the wood siding of homes, much to the dismay of homeowners. Adult males have a bright red cap on the back of their heads, which makes them easy to identify from females.īecause of their small size, they can land on small stems of plants to hunt for food. Their nests can be extremely high up in trees.ĭowny woodpeckers are black and white, with distinctly spotted wings and a white chest. They build their nests in the cavity of trees where they live and raise their young. It lives in rural areas, cities, suburban yards, and wilderness areas, so you can just as easily see them in Helena as Darby.ĭuring the wintertime, they flock with other birds such as chickadees and nuthatches for safety and to find food. ![]() You can find this small woodpecker pretty much anywhere. They also love deadwood, which means that you can spot them in the many recently burned forests in the state. They’re the most frequent visitor of suet feeders of all the different woodpeckers in Montana. Hang a suet feeder in your yard if you want to be able to see these birds. While they may change their habitat range during the seasons, they don’t travel too far. Instead, it stays in its home year-round, which means you can spot these woodpeckers anytime you head outside. It’s probably the most common woodpecker to see in all of Montana, so the chances are good that you’ll be able to see one. That’s because it’s bold and not too afraid of people. The downy woodpecker is the smallest woodpecker in Montana, but its tiny size doesn’t make it difficult to spot. Williamson’s Sapsucker 10 Types of Woodpeckers in Montana 1.Here is the list of species of woodpeckers in Montana: Whether you’re hiking in a stunning wilderness area or taking in the sights in Helena, there’s probably at least one species of woodpecker nearby. If you’re willing to put on your hiking boots and bring some binoculars, you can likely see several species in a single day.īut even those who want to take it easy while spotting woodpeckers can identify several species in their own Montana backyards. But even still, at least ten woodpeckers made Montana their home for at least part of the year.īetween Glacier National Park, Yellowstone National Park, and Flathead Lake State Park, there are vast riches of areas for birdwatchers to spot their favorite species or complete their Life List. It isn’t the most hospitable environment for some birds, with brutal winters and hot summers. The Big Sky state is enormous, with a massive variation in landscape, from jagged peaks to flat prairies.
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