Grace’s Bird CageBackyard Birding, Feeders & Smart Birdwatching

How to Attract Woodpeckers to Your Yard

Suet, peanuts and mature or dead trees bring downy, hairy, red-bellied and other woodpeckers to backyard feeders.

By Grace’s Bird Cage Editorial Team Updated How we research products

Downy woodpecker clinging to a wire suet cage feeder
Downy woodpecker at a suet cage. Photo: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Midwest Region (public domain)

Backyard woodpeckers you’re likely to see

SpeciesWhereKey ID featuresFeeder favorites
Downy woodpeckerMost of the U.S. and CanadaSmall; short bill; males have a small red patch on the back of the headSuet, sunflower, peanuts
Hairy woodpeckerMost of the U.S. and CanadaLooks like a larger downy with a bill about as long as its headSuet, peanuts
Red-bellied woodpeckerEast and central U.S.Barred black-and-white back; red on the nape (and crown in males); faint reddish bellySuet, peanuts, sunflower, fruit
Northern flickerThroughoutBrown, spotted, with a black bib; often on the ground eating antsSuet, ground insects
Pileated woodpeckerMature forests; East, North and Pacific NorthwestCrow-sized; bold red crestSuet (large tail-prop feeders)
Red-headed woodpeckerEast and central U.S., open woodsEntire head red; large white wing patchesSuet, nuts, corn

Downy and hairy woodpeckers are the classic confusion pair. Compare bill length to head width, and check the outer white tail feathers: downies usually show black spots there. All About Birds has a side-by-side comparison.

What woodpeckers eat

Woodpeckers mainly eat insects, especially wood-boring larvae, ants and beetles. They also eat nuts, seeds and fruit. At feeders:

  • Suet is the top draw, especially in cold weather. Plain or with peanuts, insects or seeds. Use no-melt dough in summer heat.
  • Peanuts: shelled, unsalted, in a mesh peanut feeder.
  • Black-oil sunflower and sunflower hearts are taken by downy and red-bellied woodpeckers.
  • Fruit: red-bellied woodpeckers sometimes visit orange halves and grape jelly put out for orioles.
Check suet cakes Check no-melt suet Check bird peanuts

Feeders for woodpeckers

  • Suet cages: inexpensive and effective. Hang against a tree trunk or on a pole.
  • Tail-prop suet feeders: a board below the cage lets larger woodpeckers brace with their stiff tails. Good for red-bellied and pileated woodpeckers.
  • Upside-down suet feeders: woodpeckers and nuthatches cling underneath easily, while starlings struggle.
  • Log feeders: a drilled log packed with suet looks natural and works well.
  • Mesh peanut feeders for shelled peanuts.
Check tail-prop feeders Check upside-down feeders

Compare specific models in the best bird feeders guide.

Habitat: trees, including dead ones

Woodpeckers depend on trees for food and for the cavities they excavate to nest and roost. The most useful thing you can do:

  • Keep mature trees, especially oaks, hickories and pines.
  • Leave dead trees (snags) or dead limbs standing wherever they’re not a safety hazard. Have an arborist check anything near a house, path or play area. Even a trimmed-down trunk a few feet tall is valuable.
  • Plant fruiting natives such as dogwoods, serviceberry and viburnums, and avoid pesticides that remove insect food.
Blue jay perched on a thin branch showing blue wings and tail
Mature trees support woodpeckers, jays, nuthatches and many other birds. Photo: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Midwest Region (public domain)

Nesting and nest boxes

Most woodpeckers excavate their own holes, usually in dead or softening wood. Some will use boxes. Northern flickers take to nest boxes, and downies occasionally do, especially if the box is packed with wood shavings for them to “excavate.” See NestWatch for species plans, and our nest box guide.

Water

Woodpeckers drink and bathe at baths, especially in hot, dry weather and when natural water freezes.

Woodpeckers drumming on your house?

Drumming on siding or gutters is usually territorial signaling in spring, or sometimes a search for insects. Hanging reflective tape or a sheet of netting over the spot usually stops it. Woodpeckers are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, so don’t harm them. Offering suet elsewhere can also help redirect them.

Woodpecker quick reference

Best foodSuet (no-melt in summer), shelled peanuts, sunflower
FeederSuet cage, tail-prop, upside-down or log feeder; mesh peanut feeder
HabitatMature trees, safe snags and dead limbs
NestingExcavated cavities; flickers use boxes
Peak feeder seasonFall and winter