Downy woodpeckers are common throughout North American woodlands and also visit backyard feeders whenever suet and peanut butter are offered. A breeding pair of downy woodpeckers establish a territory in the spring, in part by drumming short, fast tattoos on wood. They excavate a flask-shaped nest cavity in a suitable tree. Here, the female lays 4-7 eggs which are incubated in shifts by both parents. After the eggs hatch the parents bring food to the nestlings and keep the nest clean.
Fledglings follow their parents throughout the treetops and begin to assume adult plumage.
Downys are non-migratory. However they do not cache food for the winter but continue to seek insects in infested trees during this season. The illustration of the downy woodpeckers appears on the web site, Wildlife Neighbors of the Williamsburg Area .