Youngsters
get to know the young hero and the adventures
that carry him toward manhood. As they come to know Jeremiah as a friend who would
understand their own growing pains, they look forward to each book in the
series.
Teachers
will Achieve..
Teachers will appreciate the ways
that Jeremiah Stokely novels, kits, and activities make literature
meaningful to children. Teachers can download free classroom idea
packets to hold a hand-on workshop based on each book.
Click the >Play button
to listen to the bird's song!
Downy Woodpecker (Picoides
pubescens)
Length 6¾ in., wingspan 12 in., Family Picidae
The Downy is the smallest North American woodpecker.
It lives in a variety of wooded habitats, from wilderness to parks and
gardens. It often visits backyard feeders and is especially fond of
sunflower seeds, nuts, and suet. It lives year-round in most of the United
States and Canada, except in the desert Southwest.
The Downy Woodpecker is so-called for its soft, downy
feathers. It is black and white with a long, stiff tail (to prop against
tree trunks as it climbs) and a short, but strong bill to drill into trees
for insects. Its back and belly are solid white. The male has a small red
spot on the back of its head.
No songbird, the Downy makes a soft “pik-pik” call or
a loud, high-pitched whinny like a horse. It eats mainly insects that it
finds in trees, such as wood-boring beetles and carpenter ants. It forages
for insects up, down, and around tree trunks, holding on with its strong
claws. It has a keen sense of hearing and can detect insects inside the
bark, knowing where to drill to find them. It spears the insects with its
long, sharp tongue. In fall and winter, males and females have separate
feeding areas, but in winter, just before nesting time, pairs reunite to
feed together.
Nesting takes place from April to June. During
courtship, male and female both drum on dead trees to attract one another.
Both male and female use their sharp bills to hollow out a nest cavity in a
dead tree, creating an entry hole about one inch in diameter. The nest is
lined with wood chips. Both parents incubate the four or five white eggs and
feed the hatched young insects for 20 to 25 days until they are ready to
fledge (leave the nest). Downy pairs have been known to bond for several
years.
Except in size, the Downy is identical to the Hairy
Woodpecker, which is 9 in. long with a longer bill.
