Feather Identifier app iconFeather Identifier

Feather & Bird Encyclopedia

Search and identify feathers by species — with feather type, plumage, colours, size, habitat, and how to tell them apart in the field.

Pileated Woodpecker

Pileated Woodpecker

The largest common North American woodpecker, unmistakable for its crow-like size, deep black body, flaming red crest, and bold white neck stripes.

woodpecker
White Woodpecker

White Woodpecker

An unusually pale South American woodpecker, mostly white with contrasting black wings and back and a patch of bare yellow facial skin.

woodpecker
Rufous Woodpecker

Rufous Woodpecker

An unusually uniform rufous-brown woodpecker of South and Southeast Asia, best known for nesting inside the arboreal nests of tree ants.

woodpecker
Robust Woodpecker

Robust Woodpecker

A large, striking woodpecker of the Atlantic Forest region of Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay, marked by a prominent red crest and bold black-and-white pattern.

woodpecker
Powerful Woodpecker

Powerful Woodpecker

A large woodpecker of Andean cloud forest, closely related to the Crimson-crested and Magellanic Woodpeckers but with distinctive buffy, barred underparts rather than clean black-and-white.

woodpecker
Olive Woodpecker

Olive Woodpecker

A southern and eastern African woodpecker with an olive-green back and grey head, familiar in forest, fynbos margins, and well-wooded gardens.

woodpecker
Nubian Woodpecker

Nubian Woodpecker

An East African savanna woodpecker with bold black spotting across cream underparts and a barred greenish back, favoring dry thornbush country.

woodpecker
Hoffmann's Woodpecker

Hoffmann's Woodpecker

A common Central American woodpecker with a black-and-white barred back and a small patch of yellow on the nape, adaptable to gardens and open plantations.

woodpecker
Ground Woodpecker

Ground Woodpecker

A highly unusual, almost entirely terrestrial woodpecker of southern African rocky grassland, with pink-flushed underparts and none of the tree-climbing habits of its relatives.

woodpecker
Magellanic Woodpecker

Magellanic Woodpecker

A spectacular, crow-sized woodpecker of Patagonian beech forests, with the male's entire head blazing red and crowned by a distinctive forward-curling crest.

woodpecker
Lewis's Woodpecker

Lewis's Woodpecker

An unusually plumaged western woodpecker with an iridescent greenish-black back, dark red face, and pink-toned belly, often seen flycatching like a crow.

woodpecker
Bennett's Woodpecker

Bennett's Woodpecker

A southern African woodland woodpecker with heavy black spotting on pale underparts, closely related to other spotted African woodpeckers but favoring drier broadleaf woodland types.

woodpecker
Arizona Woodpecker

Arizona Woodpecker

A woodpecker of southwestern oak canyons notable for its plain brown back, unlike the black-and-white barred pattern of most related species.

woodpecker
Syrian Woodpecker

Syrian Woodpecker

A close look-alike of the Great Spotted Woodpecker found across southeastern Europe and the Middle East, best separated by an incomplete black neck bar and a paler pink vent.

woodpecker
Nuttall's Woodpecker

Nuttall's Woodpecker

A small woodpecker largely restricted to California oak woodlands, similar to Ladder-backed Woodpecker but with cleaner white underparts and a solid black nape band.

woodpecker
Himalayan Woodpecker

Himalayan Woodpecker

A larger Himalayan pied woodpecker distinguished from lowland relatives by its barred, rather than solid black, upperparts and a red vent.

woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker

Hairy Woodpecker

A larger look-alike of the Downy Woodpecker, distinguished by its longer bill and plain, unspotted white outer tail feathers.

woodpecker
Guadeloupe Woodpecker

Guadeloupe Woodpecker

An island-endemic woodpecker found only on Guadeloupe, unusual among woodpeckers for its almost entirely dark, glossy plumage rather than bold barring or spotting.

woodpecker
Lineated Woodpecker

Lineated Woodpecker

A widespread Neotropical woodpecker with a shaggy red crest and bold white stripes running down the sides of its neck, common in forest edge habitats from Mexico to northern Argentina.

woodpecker
Gila Woodpecker

Gila Woodpecker

A common Sonoran Desert woodpecker with a plain gray-tan head and body set off by a boldly barred black-and-white back and wings.

woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker

Downy Woodpecker

The smallest North American woodpecker, its black-and-white checkered feathers and short bill make it a common and easily identified backyard bird.

woodpecker
Black Woodpecker

Black Woodpecker

The largest woodpecker across most of Europe and northern Asia, entirely black except for a red crown patch and a pale bill.

woodpecker
Cardinal Woodpecker

Cardinal Woodpecker

One of the smallest and most widespread African woodpeckers, common across savanna and woodland, with the male's red-tipped crown giving rise to its 'cardinal' name.

woodpecker
Bearded Woodpecker

Bearded Woodpecker

A large, robust African woodpecker named for its bold black 'beard' stripe bordering a white throat, favoring broadleaved woodland such as miombo and mopane.

woodpecker