How to Attract Red-bellied Woodpeckers
Red-bellied woodpeckers are loud, striking birds with zebra-striped backs and bright red on the head. They live year-round across the eastern US, and their range keeps spreading north.
What red-bellied woodpeckers eat
Suet, shelled peanuts and sunflower are their favorites. Unlike many woodpeckers, they also eat fruit such as orange halves and berries.
High-fat suet cakes that fit standard suet cages. Woodpeckers, nuthatches and chickadees rely on fat like this to get through cold nights.
Check price on Amazon for C&S Hi-Energy Suet Cakes (opens Amazon)If you only buy one seed, make it black-oil sunflower. It's high in fat, has a thin shell small birds can open, and nearly every seed-eating bird loves it.
Check price on Amazon for Wagner's Black Oil Sunflower Seed (opens Amazon)The feeders they use
They're comfortable at suet cages and also land on platform feeders, especially for peanuts and fruit.
Woodpeckers, nuthatches and chickadees happily hang upside down to eat. Starlings and grackles mostly don't, so the suet goes to the birds you want.
Check price on Amazon for Birds Choice Upside-Down Suet Feeder (opens Amazon)An open tray feeder that welcomes the widest range of birds, including cardinals, doves, jays and juncos that prefer to feed in the open.
Check price on Amazon for Woodlink Platform Feeder (opens Amazon)Trees and dead wood
Red-bellied woodpeckers need trees, and they dig nest holes in dead wood. Leaving a safe snag or dead limb can keep a pair nearby.
Frequently asked questions
Why is it called red-bellied?
There's a faint reddish wash on its belly that's hard to see. The obvious red is on the head: from beak to neck on males, and only on the back of the head on females.
Are red-bellied woodpeckers bullies at feeders?
They're big and assertive, but they usually take a few bites and leave. Offer more than one feeder to spread birds out.
Do they migrate?
No. They stay year-round.
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