Picidae

Woodpeckers get their name from routinely pecking wood for food, shelter, and attracting mates. The average woodpecker can peck up to 20 beats per second! There are about 200 species of woodpeckers. They are found on every continent except the polar regions, Australia, and Madagascar.

Identification – What do woodpeckers look like?

A woodpeckers color varies by species. Most males have some red on their head and various patterns of black and white on their bodies. Woodpeckers have stout bills that are sharply pointed. They have long barbed tongues. Their tail feathers are stiff and spiny and used as a support prop. Woodpeckers have two short legs with two fingers that face forward and two that face backward. They are 7 to 20 inches tall and weigh from .25 oz to 19 oz depending on the species. They average lifespan is between 4 and 12 years depending on the species. The larger woodpeckers can live up to 20-30 years.

Habitat and Habits of woodpeckers

Woodpeckers live in forests, deserts, jungles, backyards, urban settings, and various types of habitat where trees are present. Woodpeckers build nesting holes in trees year round. They are monogamous. Females lay 2-5 eggs per brood. They have between 1 and 3 broods a year.

Diet – What do woodpeckers eat?

Woodpeckers are omnivores. They eat bugs, sap, fruit, nuts and seeds. They have long barbed tongues that are used to extract bugs and sap from trees and holes. In the yard they will eat out of nut feeders and may even sip the nectar from hummingbird feeders.

Woodpecker Control – How to get rid of woodpeckers?

Woodpeckers are protected by the Federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act as migratory, non game birds. In addition, some species are also protected by state laws. Two woodpecker species, the red-cockaded woodpecker and the ivory-billed woodpecker, are on the Endangered Species list.

Because woodpeckers can be very persistent and are not easily driven from selected pecking sites, any woodpecker control effort should be started as soon as the problem begins. Rocky Mountain Bird and Pest uses a variety of methods to dissuade woodpeckers. Some of our methods include bird netting, scary objects, and taste repellents.

Rocky Mountain Bird and Pest will ensure all woodpecker management methods of control are compliant with federal and state law.