Downy Woodpeckers occur in woodland areas, parks, and around suburban houses with nearby wooded areas throughout southern Canada, central Alaska, and all but the desert southwest of the lower 48 states of the US. The males and females are basically black-and-white birds told apart by the presence or absence of a red cap on the back of the head. This bird is a female, indicated by the lack of a red cap. Downy Woodpeckers are common visitors to suet feeders. This can provide the opportunity to observe them closely, as with this one, which was photographed as it worked its way around a tree toward a feeder.