Woodpecker Control and the 10 Types of Woodpeckers That Damage Homes
Let's face it, woodpecker control problems will continue to increase as human populations continue to encroach on their natural habitat.
This unfortunate reality causes these beautiful and powerful birds to quickly be seen as a nuisance in the eyes of many frustrated homeowners.
One of the first key steps to developing a successful woodpecker control plan is to identify what type of woodpecker is causing damage to you home.
While many woodpeckers share common characteristics, it's their unique habits and behaviors that provide critical clues that will ultimately inform your choice of woodpecker deterrents.
Following is a list of the 10 most common types of woodpeckers that cause damage to homes or other wooden, man-made structures in North America: Red-headed Woodpecker Just seven to nine inches in length, the adult red-headed woodpecker is still an exciting bird to see.
Adults have a black back with white wing tips and underbelly.
As the name suggests the head is a deep red nearly down to the shoulder.
Unusual for woodpeckers, the females are identical to the males.
The inexperienced birdwatcher will sometimes mistake the Red-bellied woodpecker for the red-headed.
That species has some red on the head, but nothing like the red-headed woodpecker's fully dark red head.
Acorn Woodpecker The Acorn Woodpecker (Melanerpes formicivorus) is a small to medium sized woodpecker, averaging about 9 inches (23 cm) in length.
The adults have black heads, back wings and tails, white chest and facial markings and large white eyes.
The adult male has a red cap starting at the forehead; females have a black area or stripe between the forehead and the cap.
The combination of the white eyes and facial markings against a black background make this species particularly striking, and a little crazy looking.
Golden-fronted Woodpecker The Golden-fronted woodpecker is a medium-sized to large woodpecker, averaging 8 1/2 to 10 1/2 inches.
The name comes from a golden stripe across the face and around the back of the neck but there may also be a small patch of yellow, orange or red in the center of their belly.
The breast is pale tan to light brown with with black and white "zebra-striping" or checkerboard pattern across the back and wings.
Adult males may also have a red cap on their heads.
Occasionally a Golden-fronted woodpecker is seen sporting a purple face, but this is due to its fondness for cactus pears, not due to any hybridization or regional color variations.
Red-bellied Woodpecker The Red-bellied woodpecker is often confused with the Red-headed woodpecker as the top of its head is pale red back to the nape of its neck.
The color on the belly is actually more of a pale pinkish to orange and on the female quite small and often unnoticeable.
The male also has a longer and wider bill than the female.
The rest of this medium-sized woodpecker is the typical black and white barred pattern, with white to pale grey across the breast and along the sides.
Ladder-backed Woodpecker This type of woodpecker is a smaller species (6.
25-7 inches or 16-18 cm in length), black and white striped on its back and wings with a pale underbelly with darker spots on the sides.
Males have a red head spot, flecked with black or black and white.
Females are usually substantially smaller and without red markings.
There are numerous recognized regional variations in coloring and size resulting in eight accepted subspecies.
Downy Woodpecker This little guy is North America's smallest woodpecker at only 6-7 inches (15-17 cm).
Besides his size, the downy can be identified by a proportionately short beak (less than the length of its head), a white stripe down his back and a white underbelly.
All adults will have black markings like stripes across their backs and wing tops, and adult males have a small red patch at the nape of their necks.
Hairy Woodpecker Hairy Woodpeckers can be anywhere from 6.
5 to 10 inches in length.
Like the downy woodpecker mentioned previously, colder climates tend to result in larger birds.
As it happens, there are over a dozen subcategories of Hairy Woodpecker across the North American continent, down the Central American isthmus and across the Caribbean islands, although even scientists and bird enthusiasts can't agree on exactly how many; 14, 17 or 21.
Each is differentiated by its size, wingspan and subtle color and pattern variations.
In general, the Hairy Woodpecker can be identified by its by its white, off-white, pale grey or tan underbelly, black and white patterned back and wings and the white or pale stripe down the back.
They look superficially similar to the Downy Woodpecker but are larger with a bill much longer in proportion to its head than a Downy has.
Males may have two little red spots or a red nape patch, females will have no red at all.
Red-cockaded Woodpecker The Red-cockaded woodpecker is medium-sized, (20-23 cm), black with white striping and large white patches on either side of the head.
The underside is white with black speckles.
This type of woodpecker is named for the small patched of red the adult males have back behind the eyes on either side.
These patches are tiny and frequently aren't even visible under the black crown feathers on the head, and so males and females are difficult to distinguish from even short distances.
The exception is during territorial or breeding displays, where the crest feathers are raised and the "cockades" are more easily seen.
Northern flicker At only half the size of the Pileated woodpecker, the Northern Flicker is still the second largest of the common woodpeckers of North America at 11-12 inches in length.
In the eastern and northern part of North America, the golden-shaften variety is common while the red-shafted variety is more common in the west.
The rest of the flicker is gray and brown with black striped markings across the back.
The underside is light grey or pale tan with darker speckles.
The common Northern Flicker has a black or red mustache and in birds with a black mustache, a red patch at the back of the neck.
Pileated Woodpecker The Pileated woodpecker is a large bird, 16-20 inches long, nearly as large as the common crow.
They are named for the bright red crested cap on the top of their heads.
The adult males also have a red mustache, or strip on either side of the bill.
They are very dark brown, so dark that they often appear black, with contrasting white marks on the face, above and below the mustache.
They appear entirely black or brown until they fly, then a prominent white patch on the underside of the wings is visible from below.
Identifying and researching the woodpecker that is damaging your home unlocks key secrets that will save you time and money creating a woodpecker control plan that works.
And this overview is just the tip of the iceberg.
This unfortunate reality causes these beautiful and powerful birds to quickly be seen as a nuisance in the eyes of many frustrated homeowners.
One of the first key steps to developing a successful woodpecker control plan is to identify what type of woodpecker is causing damage to you home.
While many woodpeckers share common characteristics, it's their unique habits and behaviors that provide critical clues that will ultimately inform your choice of woodpecker deterrents.
Following is a list of the 10 most common types of woodpeckers that cause damage to homes or other wooden, man-made structures in North America: Red-headed Woodpecker Just seven to nine inches in length, the adult red-headed woodpecker is still an exciting bird to see.
Adults have a black back with white wing tips and underbelly.
As the name suggests the head is a deep red nearly down to the shoulder.
Unusual for woodpeckers, the females are identical to the males.
The inexperienced birdwatcher will sometimes mistake the Red-bellied woodpecker for the red-headed.
That species has some red on the head, but nothing like the red-headed woodpecker's fully dark red head.
Acorn Woodpecker The Acorn Woodpecker (Melanerpes formicivorus) is a small to medium sized woodpecker, averaging about 9 inches (23 cm) in length.
The adults have black heads, back wings and tails, white chest and facial markings and large white eyes.
The adult male has a red cap starting at the forehead; females have a black area or stripe between the forehead and the cap.
The combination of the white eyes and facial markings against a black background make this species particularly striking, and a little crazy looking.
Golden-fronted Woodpecker The Golden-fronted woodpecker is a medium-sized to large woodpecker, averaging 8 1/2 to 10 1/2 inches.
The name comes from a golden stripe across the face and around the back of the neck but there may also be a small patch of yellow, orange or red in the center of their belly.
The breast is pale tan to light brown with with black and white "zebra-striping" or checkerboard pattern across the back and wings.
Adult males may also have a red cap on their heads.
Occasionally a Golden-fronted woodpecker is seen sporting a purple face, but this is due to its fondness for cactus pears, not due to any hybridization or regional color variations.
Red-bellied Woodpecker The Red-bellied woodpecker is often confused with the Red-headed woodpecker as the top of its head is pale red back to the nape of its neck.
The color on the belly is actually more of a pale pinkish to orange and on the female quite small and often unnoticeable.
The male also has a longer and wider bill than the female.
The rest of this medium-sized woodpecker is the typical black and white barred pattern, with white to pale grey across the breast and along the sides.
Ladder-backed Woodpecker This type of woodpecker is a smaller species (6.
25-7 inches or 16-18 cm in length), black and white striped on its back and wings with a pale underbelly with darker spots on the sides.
Males have a red head spot, flecked with black or black and white.
Females are usually substantially smaller and without red markings.
There are numerous recognized regional variations in coloring and size resulting in eight accepted subspecies.
Downy Woodpecker This little guy is North America's smallest woodpecker at only 6-7 inches (15-17 cm).
Besides his size, the downy can be identified by a proportionately short beak (less than the length of its head), a white stripe down his back and a white underbelly.
All adults will have black markings like stripes across their backs and wing tops, and adult males have a small red patch at the nape of their necks.
Hairy Woodpecker Hairy Woodpeckers can be anywhere from 6.
5 to 10 inches in length.
Like the downy woodpecker mentioned previously, colder climates tend to result in larger birds.
As it happens, there are over a dozen subcategories of Hairy Woodpecker across the North American continent, down the Central American isthmus and across the Caribbean islands, although even scientists and bird enthusiasts can't agree on exactly how many; 14, 17 or 21.
Each is differentiated by its size, wingspan and subtle color and pattern variations.
In general, the Hairy Woodpecker can be identified by its by its white, off-white, pale grey or tan underbelly, black and white patterned back and wings and the white or pale stripe down the back.
They look superficially similar to the Downy Woodpecker but are larger with a bill much longer in proportion to its head than a Downy has.
Males may have two little red spots or a red nape patch, females will have no red at all.
Red-cockaded Woodpecker The Red-cockaded woodpecker is medium-sized, (20-23 cm), black with white striping and large white patches on either side of the head.
The underside is white with black speckles.
This type of woodpecker is named for the small patched of red the adult males have back behind the eyes on either side.
These patches are tiny and frequently aren't even visible under the black crown feathers on the head, and so males and females are difficult to distinguish from even short distances.
The exception is during territorial or breeding displays, where the crest feathers are raised and the "cockades" are more easily seen.
Northern flicker At only half the size of the Pileated woodpecker, the Northern Flicker is still the second largest of the common woodpeckers of North America at 11-12 inches in length.
In the eastern and northern part of North America, the golden-shaften variety is common while the red-shafted variety is more common in the west.
The rest of the flicker is gray and brown with black striped markings across the back.
The underside is light grey or pale tan with darker speckles.
The common Northern Flicker has a black or red mustache and in birds with a black mustache, a red patch at the back of the neck.
Pileated Woodpecker The Pileated woodpecker is a large bird, 16-20 inches long, nearly as large as the common crow.
They are named for the bright red crested cap on the top of their heads.
The adult males also have a red mustache, or strip on either side of the bill.
They are very dark brown, so dark that they often appear black, with contrasting white marks on the face, above and below the mustache.
They appear entirely black or brown until they fly, then a prominent white patch on the underside of the wings is visible from below.
Identifying and researching the woodpecker that is damaging your home unlocks key secrets that will save you time and money creating a woodpecker control plan that works.
And this overview is just the tip of the iceberg.
