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Woodpecker Damage Ecology & Management

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Woodpecker Damage Ecology & Management LIVING WITH WILDLIFE IN WISCONSIN: SOLVING NUISANCE, DAMAGE, HEALTH & SAFETY PROBLEMS – G3997-008 Woodpecker Damage Ecology & Management Woodpeckers are attractive, interesting visitors to bird feeders and yards. In g r o . d o addition to adding beauty to the land- o w g u B , s scape, woodpeckers are an integral part n a v E e k y of the ecosystem. Woodpeckers are primary D n a V y d n e cavity nesters, which means that they use their W – r ke ec dp bills (and reinforced skull structure) to excavate oo y w wn holes into dead wood. Woodpeckers use the cavities Do they create for nesting and roosting, but a wide assortment of other animals (secondary cavity users) like squirrels, raccoons, bluebirds, and owls, to name a few, will enlarge and use the cavities woodpeckers have created and abandoned. Thus, woodpeckers provide habitat for a host of other species. In addition, they feed on a variety of insects, helping to keep those populations in check. Although not everyone is familiar with their calls and vocalizations, most can Woodpeckers recognize the sound a woodpecker makes as it raps on trees (or your house). “ In fact, woodpeckers not only can be identified by their calls, but by their drumming, hammer for several because each species hammers with a different rhythm and intensity. reasons: to estab- Woodpeckers hammer for several reasons: to establish territory or find a mate; lish territory or to excavate a nesting or roosting hole; or to dislodge insects hiding under bark or siding. It is this aspect of woodpecker behavior that causes the most conflicts with find a mate; to humans, as woodpeckers do not necessarily distinguish between hammering on excavate a nesting an oak tree and hammering on a house. Not only is the hammering annoying, especially when it occurs near sunrise, but it can also cause considerable damage. or roosting hole; Woodpeckers may hammer holes completely through the siding and insulation or to dislodge of a house. In some cases, they make holes large enough to provide nest sites for insects hiding other birds, especially House sparrows. There have been reports of homes under bark or damaged to the point of needing complete residing. In other cases, woodpeckers have siding.” damaged almost every house in wooded, Jeffrey J. Strobel Jeffrey suburban developments. While woodpeckers can and do cause damage to utility poles, orchards, and forested areas, this publication Woodpecker is primarily aimed at reducing or eliminating damage to woodpecker damage to buildings. house siding. DESCRIPTION Wisconsin is currently home to eight woodpecker spe- The following seven species are common, and all but cies. The Black-backed woodpecker is rare and not the Yellow-bellied sapsucker can cause damage to likely to cause much, if any, damage due to its limited homes and other wooden structures. However, the numbers. Therefore, we have excluded them from the Downy, Hairy and Pileated woodpeckers are the spe- following species descriptions and this publication. cies that most often cause damage. Downy (Picoides pubescens) and Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius) Hairy (Picoides villosus) Woodpeckers The Yellow-bellied sap- The Downy is the smallest sucker measures about species of woodpecker 8 inches long and is found in Wisconsin. It distinguished by alternating measures about 6 inches lines of black and white from head to tail. The Hairy feathers on the face, a red woodpecker is generally patch of feathers on the Downy about 3 inches larger. Both forehead, and an area of species have white backs, yellow feathers (hence the and black wings with white “Yellow-bellied”) on the spots. Males have a patch central part of the belly. of red feathers on the back Male sapsuckers have a red chin and females have of their heads. Because a white chin. Sapsuckers are primarily summer Downy and Hairy wood- residents of Wisconsin, although some may be found peckers are easily confused in southern Wisconsin year-round. Hairy due to similar size and markings, the identifying Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus) field mark is bill length relative to head size. Downy woodpecker bills are roughly half the length of their heads, The Red-bellied woodpecker while Hairy woodpecker bills are as long or slightly is about 9 inches long and longer than their heads. These two species are found has a tan belly and black in Wisconsin year-round. and white barred feathers on the tail, back, and Red-headed woodpecker (Melanerpes erythrocephalus) wings. The lower abdomen may have a reddish blush, The Red-headed woodpeck- but this is sometimes diffi- er is about 8 inches long cult to see. Males have red and the only woodpecker in feathers extending from Wisconsin with a completely the nape of the neck, red head. It has a white across the central part of the head, and ending at breast and distinctly black the bill. Females have red feathering only on the nape and white back and wings. of the neck with grey to tan feathering across the top Red-headed woodpeckers of the head. Red-bellied woodpeckers are found in are mostly summer residents, Wisconsin year-round. but can be found year-round in an increasing number of areas of the state. They are a species of concern in Wisconsin. Northern flicker (Colaptes auratus) Northern flickers are Pileated woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus) 13 inches long, have At 18 inches, the Pileated black-spotted breasts and is the largest woodpecker brown and black barred species in Wisconsin. The feathers on their backs Pileated is mostly black and wings. The undersides and has a crest of bright red of the wing and tail feathers on top of its head. feathers are yellow. Flickers Black and white striping runs have a patch of red feathers down the face and neck; at the nape of the neck this is more distinct in the and a distinctive white male than in the female. rump patch, easily seen when in flight. Flickers can Pileateds are year-round residents in Wisconsin. be found year-round in Wisconsin. Photos: Downy – David Cappaert, Michigan State University, Bugwood.org; Hairy – Donna Dewhurst; Red-headed – Dave Menke; Pileated – USDA Forest Service; Yellow-bellied sapsucker – James Solomon, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org; Red-bellied – Katherine Whittemore; Northern Forest Menke. USDA – Dave flicker – James Solomon, sapsucker Service; Forest Bugwood.org; Hairy Pileated – USDA Yellow-bellied Menke; – Donna Dewhurst; Red-headed – Dave Cappaert, Michigan State University, – David Photos: Downy Woodpecker Ecology & Damage Management G3997-008 2 HABITS & HABITAT Woodpeckers can be found in woodlands, farmland, suburban neighborhoods, parks, and orchards; really in any area containing trees. They are primarily insectivores, eating a variety of insects like larvae, wood-boring insects, ants, and beetles. It is common to see Northern flickers in the lawn feeding on ants, which make up nearly 50% of their diet. Other woodpeckers will catch flying insects in midair. Other food items include nuts, seeds, fruit, and berries, and woodpeckers will often visit seed and suet feeders to supplement their diets. Red-headed and Red-bellied woodpeckers store and defend food caches for use at a later time. Yellow-bellied sapsuckers feed on sap from trees. WHEN & WHY DO WOODPECKERS DAMAGE HOUSES? Woodpecker damage may occur anytime of year but occurs on parts of the house that produce the greatest is most common in spring and fall, with more damage sound, like drain spouts and TV antennas. typically occurring in the spring. During spring, male Fall and winter damage often results from woodpeckers woodpeckers hammer as a territorial activity, much searching for food, usually insects or insect larvae, in or like other birds sing to adver- under the siding. Certain types of plywood siding con- tise their territory and attract tain tunnels, which are opened when the plywood is a mate. Territorial hammering grooved (see diagram) to give the appearance of vertical may also occur in fall, but boards. Insects, especially leaf-cutting bees, enter these spring hammering is more tunnels to breed or to lay eggs. Several woodpeckers common and persistent. may feed on insects in plywood, but usually only one In the wild, woodpeckers bird is involved in territorial hammering. hammer on trees. But in residential areas some birds seem to prefer houses and subsurface tunnel cedar aluminum siding. It has been veneer suggested that woodpeckers are attracted to houses due to their wood (and sometimes aluminum) siding, subsurface ply large size, and better sound production, making houses seem like “super trees.” Territorial hammering is usually concentrated in one spot and typically insect entry points grooves IDENTIFYING WOODPECKER DAMAGE Often, you will see and or hear the woodpecker as it The Yellow-bellied sapsucker, as its name implies, drills hammers on the object being damaged, thus providing into trees to obtain sap. In Wisconsin, sapsuckers favor the opportunity for positive visual identification. Nest birch, maple and hemlock trees, but will also use other cavity holes are nearly perfectly circular and are just species. Orchard trees and a number of ornamentals large enough for the body of the adult woodpecker to may be damaged as well. fit through. Therefore, Downy woodpecker nesting An individual sapsucker often picks a favorite tree and holes are much smaller than entrances to nest cavities visits it frequently. Sapsucker damage is indicated by a used by Pileated woodpeckers. diagonal pattern of evenly spaced small holes that Holes created while looking for insects may be irregu- may stretch all the way around a tree. These wounds larly shaped, with the Pileated woodpecker creating the can provide an easy entry point for insects or disease largest and deepest holes of any woodpecker species to invade the tree.
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