Illinois Natural History Survey - University of Illinois

INHS Reports January-February 1998

The Naturalist's Apprentice: Illinois Woodpeckers

Objective: to learn about the woodpeckers that inhabit or visit Illinois

Materials: multiple copies of Illinois Woodpeckers, bird field guides

Vocabulary: boreal, extinct, migrate

Comments: Seven species of woodpeckers occur regularly in the state, two more are of rare or accidental occurrence, and one species is extinct. Woodpeckers belong to the bird family Picidae, which includes flickers and sapsuckers. The activity on the following page will acquaint you with the species of woodpeckers found in Illinois.

Procedure: Students attempt to match the description in Column A with the common name in Column B. To help with the task, any field guide, such as the Golden Guide to Birds of North America or the Peterson Field Guide, should help.

Answers: 1= Common Flicker; 2= PileatedWoodpecker; 3= Red-bellied Woodpecker; 4= Red-headed Woodpecker; 5= Lewis' Woodpecker; 6= Yellow-bellied Sapsucker; 7= Hairy Woodpecker; 8= Downy Woodpecker; 9= Black- backed Woodpecker; 10= Ivory-billed Woodpecker.

Charlie Warwick, editor