Can you actually spot little birds like woodpeckers in trees?

[jamesc70]

I need a perfect Woodpecker carcass, and in like four hours have been able to shoot down 3, but all were not perfect...

I've been trying to use focus to see birds in the trees, but I have never seen one. I'm guessing the game just spawns them when you ride through trees (flushes them out), instead of actually having them already spawned. In fact, the only times I've seen birds not flying is on things like bridges or cabins out in the woods.

Anyone know if you can spot little birds in trees, or does it work like I mentioned above? Any woodpecker tips? I've been in a spot on the Dakota river for two hours now and have seen 1 flying, but impossible to hit even with deadeye.

[Dervish]

I found that shooting them off rocks is easier, they're still really hard to see sometimes because they're so small but way easier then trying to shoot them out the air. I have no idea if you can see them in the trees but I did wonder like you.

You could try along the river in this area https://imgur.com/a/jnwVHO1 on the rocks, songbirds/blujays/woodpeckers/robins should spawn there but its random, so you might have to run away and come back. (just watch out for the Murfree hideout that in the hillside just south, east of the circled area)

Use small game arrows and deadeye to paint a target on the head and then make sure you pull the bow all the way back before firing.

[HunZolka]

I managed to shoot them with small game arrows (both woodpeckers and the other bird that was needed for the collection) a bit to the east from the O'driscoll hideout. Hound ranch or something. I just kept looking up while wandering in the woods and shot every small bird I saw.

Also when using bow against small flying birds, you also need to fully draw the bow for dead eye to work, otherwise it still misses. Even so it still misses sometimes.