The Hairy Woodpecker ranges all of wooded North America from the subarctic treeline of Canada to the tropics of Panama, where it is a highland bird. Here in Anchorage it shares the area with it's smaller cousin, the Downy Woodpecker. The quickest way to tell them apart is the length of the bill. The bill of the Hairy Woodpecker is approximately as long as the bird's head depth, while the Downy's bill length is shorter than the depth of it's head. There, isn't that easy!