The acrobatic woodpeckers are familiar on trees and tiny branches at backyard bird feeders in woodlots, parks, gardens, and houses.Woodpeckers are a vital part of the ecosystem as they help get rid of many insect infestations in trees. Keep reading to find out more facts like the food sources of this bird, its favorite food, and what woodpeckers hate.Woodpeckers are unique, interesting birds. Their look and behavior make them fascinating and fun to watch. They are part of the Picidae family and are found worldwide, except in New Zealand, Madagascar, Australia, New Guinea, and the extreme polar regions. There are more than 200 species of woodpeckers throughout the globe. One of the largest species among them is the pileated woodpeckers in Canada and the USA. Most of these birds live in wooded habitats, scrublands, bamboo forests, or wild forests. However, some species are also known to survive in treeless areas such as rocky deserts and hillsides, like the Gila woodpecker, which specializes in exploiting cacti. Many mistakenly believe that woodpeckers peck the wood to eat wood or sawdust. Woodpeckers do not eat wood, but they drill wood to pull insects out. Did you know that woodpeckers have been beneficial in removing up to 85% of EAB (emerald ash borer) larvae from infested ash trees? Woodpeckers are easily identified by the vibrant red, black, and yellow colors on their head and neck. They can be as big as 2-3 in (5-7.6 cm), and they are typically monogamous. In most species, the male birds do most of the nest building, excavating, and incubating the eggs. The woodpecker’s predators are foxes, cats, raccoons, flying squirrels, peregrine falcons, Cooper’s hawks, snakes, and eastern screech-owls. These wild birds peck the trunks of the trees and wood in search of food by making small holes. The pecking of these birds damages houses, and the sound annoys some homeowners. The woodpecker even makes holes for mating. To get rid of them, you can use some of the smells that they strongly dislike. The best idea to keep them away is the strong and pungent smell of garlic, and peppermint oil mixed with water or carrier oil.If you find our article interesting, check our selection of other articles like how do parakeets mate? And do robins migrate?What do baby woodpeckers eat?Woodpeckers are beautiful, fascinating birds to watch and have a diverse and accommodating diet to keep themselves well-fed with the most abundant foods in any season.Their diet is very diverse, and they feed on various insects, fruits, pine nuts, seeds, acorns, grapes, raisins, peanut butter, and tree sap. Birds tend to have similar diets except for specific preferences that vary depending on the species. A baby woodpecker is called a chick. It relies on its mother for nourishment. Mother woodpeckers primarily feed high-protein foods to their young birds by carrying food in their beaks. Baby woodpeckers eat various fruits like grapes, oranges and apples, seeds, nuts, berries, worms, bugs, and larvae of wood-boring beetles.They eat a variety of small insects like beetles, spiders, ants, and other small creatures. The chicks also consume nectar from flowers, juices extracted from fruits, berries, and tree sap brought in by the parent birds and need to be fed several times a day. As the young birds will not eat on their own, in captivity, you can continue to hand feed them until they grow up. You can then serve insects to them and also dry dog or cat food soaked in water. Remember, you should carefully feed the newborn woodpeckers, as they are very young and small.What insects do woodpeckers eat?A woodpecker’s diet varies depending on its species. However, they mostly forage for insects and invertebrates on the branches and trunks of trees.Woodpeckers use their sharp bills to drill tree wood so that they can pull the insects out. Some downy woodpeckers feed on insects, ants, caterpillars, and beetle larvae that live inside wood or tree bark. They also eat pest insects, including tent caterpillars, beetles, corn earworms, and apple borers. In addition, Adult woodpeckers also prey on lizards and small rodents. Baby woodpeckers are not able to ingest all of the things that an adult woodpecker can. So, they mostly eat bugs, small insects, and larvae of wood-boring beetles. Like the great spotted woodpecker, some species eat mollusks, crustaceans, and carrion and visit a hopper or bird feeders for suet and domestic scraps.What do woodpeckers eat in the winter?Woodpeckers alter their diets according to the most abundant food sources that are available in that particular season. When there aren’t many other food sources available, some species will even store food during winter.For example, smaller woodpeckers hide seeds or dead insects under loose bark or sometimes even bury them in the ground to retrieve them later. In addition to varying food choices by season, the different woodpecker species eat different things based on what’s available in that particular region. In winter, when no other foods are accessible, suet is an excellent food to give to woodpeckers. They also eat seeds, berries, nuts, and some leftover fruits on sturdy bushes or trees. In the colder months, like during late winter and early spring, woodpeckers prefer to eat tree sap flowing from different types of trees. This sap provides these wild birds all the nutrients and energy needed to survive until the availability of proper foods.Do woodpeckers eat from bird feeders?Watching woodpeckers in the garden is an enjoyable experience. Like all other birds, however, the woodpecker has favorite foods. So, understanding what woodpeckers eat can help birders provide the best food at bird feeders, which encourages them to stay in your garden.Natural backyard feeders bought from the store or made on your own are a great option to feed a woodpecker. Usually, tray bird feeders or hoppers are most effective for offering other foods that provide these birds comfortable room to perch. Like many birds, woodpeckers love to come to your backyard feeders if you offer their favorite foods like black oil, sunflower seeds, or peanuts, giving them enough perching space to dine. For attracting woodpeckers, you should load their favorite food in your bird feeders. The woodpecker’s favorite foods, which the majority of birds seem to enjoy, are:Suet: suet is probably the woodpecker’s favorite and the favorite of many birds. It’s not only about the taste, but also it is an easily digestible high-energy food. You can buy suet blocks with nuts and fruit from any bird food store or home gardening store. Feeders are an excellent way to feed suet cakes to woodpeckers as they can quickly peck inside the feeder, or they can be smeared onto the bark.Peanuts or peanut butter: peanuts are another popular choice, and they also render enough protein and fat for them. Woodpeckers will eat both shelled or unshelled peanuts, but salted or flavored nuts can be harmful. Woodpeckers also eat foods like pine nuts, acorns, and peanut butter, which can be pasted onto the bark.Seeds: woodpeckers also like to eat seeds, particularly black oil sunflower seeds. Seed cakes usually contain a mix of foods, including sunflower seeds, nuts, and fruits, available at a variety of garden stores. These cakes can be placed in a feeder or hopper, and even more backyard birds may join.Insects: woodpeckers love insects, wasps, caterpillars, crickets, wood-boring beetles, ants, bees, and larvae that they drill into the wood with great precision to find. They also forage on the ground around gardens to find grasshoppers and spiders. A woodpecker will surely appreciate mealworms, which can be left on feeders as a treat.What do woodpeckers eat depending on various seasons?All-year-round woodpeckers stay in the same range but change their diet as the seasons change to take advantage of easily accessible foods to meet their nutritional needs. They feed on food sources that are most abundant during that season.In winter before the onset of spring, especially when insects are less in number, woodpeckers are more likely to appear at a bird feeder to eat grains, seeds, acorns, nuts, berries, and other fruits. In spring and summer, they primarily feed on insects that provide high protein levels. Sweet sap rising in trees is a popular food for the birds after a long winter. In the fall, woodpeckers like to feed on seeds, nuts, and fruit because of natural harvests. In summer, they drink sweet tree sap and nectar to stay cool during the hottest months. Some of the species, like red-headed woodpeckers, catch insects on warm days but most likely eat fruits and nuts such as beechnuts, acorns, and pecans. The easy way to attract woodpeckers is to smear peanut butter directly on a tree trunk during any season.Do woodpeckers eat baby birds or other adult birds?The woodpecker is an opportunistic and highly omnivorous bird. It excavates living and dead trees for insects and their larvae.Woodpeckers use their bills to hit the wood for prying insects out of it. Once a hole is made, they put their long beaks inside and capture the bugs with their barbed tongues. Woodpeckers also use this drumming as a method of communication, such as for attracting woodpeckers to mate or advertise a territory, or they may use vigorous drumming to warn off intruders or potential predators. A few species of woodpecker have the occasional tendency to eat other birds. They sometimes raid birds’ nests to eat eggs and young birds when their parents are absent. The cannibalistic species, which typically hunt only small birds include red-bellied and red-headed woodpeckers. However, even these species do not do so regularly. They eat other foods as well, but they eat other birds during periods of starvation or food shortages.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you like our suggestions for what do woodpeckers eat? Then why not take a look at our article are owls nocturnal? Or are seeds alive?
The acrobatic woodpeckers are familiar on trees and tiny branches at backyard bird feeders in woodlots, parks, gardens, and houses.
