Woodpeckers

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Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker

• These birds drill holes in trees and eat the sap and insects drawn to it
• They nest in the cavities of large deciduous trees, often choosing one that has been weakened by disease
• They drum and give a cat-like call in spring to declare ownership of a territory

Downy Woodpecker

• The smallest woodpecker in North America
• They nest in tree cavities
• The downy woodpecker is known to eat not only insects, but also seeds and berries
• Virtually identical in plumage to the Hairy Woodpecker

Hairy Woodpecker

• Virtually identical in plumage to the downy woodpecker
• They nest in tree cavities
• They eat mainly insects, but also fruits, berries, nuts, and sometimes tree sap

Northern Flicker

• The only woodpecker that commonly feeds on the ground
• They have a behavior called anting, during which they use the acid from the ants to assist in preening, as it is useful in keeping them free of parasites
• Their eggs are the second largest of any North American woodpeckers, exceeded only by the Pileated Woodpecker

Pileated Woodpecker

• It was a model for the cartoon character of “Woody Woodpecker”
• They often chip out large, roughly rectangular holes in trees while searching for insects
• Usually excavate large cavities in dead trees for their nests

Red-Headed Woodpecker

May or May Not Be Located in the Piedmont

• The Red-headed Woodpecker is one of only four woodpeckers known to store food, and it is the only one known to cover the stored food with wood or bark
• The Red-headed Woodpecker benefited from the chestnut blight and Dutch elm disease. The devastating tree diseases killed many trees and provided nest sites for the woodpeckers
• In addition to attacking other birds to keep them out of its territory, the Red-headed Woodpecker is also known to remove the eggs of other species from nests and nest boxes, destroy nests, and even to enter duck-nesting boxes and puncture the duck eggs