Family Reference
Woodpeckers
Picidae: drummers and excavators of dead wood, easy to attract with the right feeder and a standing snag.
The Complete Woodpeckers Guide: Identification, Drumming & Suet Feeders
Field reference to Picidae: identification by drum pattern, zygodactyl feet, suet feeders, dead wood, and common garden woodpeckers.
Read the guide →Species & Profiles
All articles in this section
Why Are Woodpeckers Drumming on My Gutter?
Why woodpeckers drum on metal gutters, flashing, and downspouts: the territorial communication explanation, why metal amplifies the signal, damage assessment (essentially zero), species identification by drum pattern, and four practical treatment options.
Why Is a Woodpecker Pecking My House?
Four reasons woodpeckers attack houses, a diagnostic table by damage pattern and species, effective deterrents, MBTA legal protections, and when to expect damage to peak seasonally.
Downy vs Hairy Woodpecker: Field-mark Diagnostic
Bill length, outer tail feathers, and call separate Downy Woodpecker from Hairy Woodpecker. Includes the convergent-evolution context and feeder behaviour differences.
Lesser Spotted Woodpecker (Dryobates minor): Britain's Smallest, Hardest-to-find Woodpecker
Detailed account of Dryobates minor, the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker: tiny size, weak drumming, canopy behaviour, British decline, habitat, and nesting.
Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus): The Misnamed Backyard Picid
Species profile of Melanerpes carolinus, the Red-bellied Woodpecker: identification, rolling calls, eastern range expansion, feeder use, and cavity nesting.
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius): Sap Wells & Migration
Detailed profile of Sphyrapicus varius, the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker: sap wells, irregular drumming, migration, host trees, and breeding biology.
Acorn Woodpecker (Melanerpes formicivorus): Granaries and Cooperative Breeding
Account of Melanerpes formicivorus, the Acorn Woodpecker: granary trees, thousands of cached acorns, cooperative breeding groups, diet, and nesting biology.
Hairy Woodpecker (Leuconotopicus villosus): Identification & Downy Confusion
Field identification of Leuconotopicus villosus, the Hairy Woodpecker: Downy separation, drum cadence, habitat, diet, and breeding.
Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens): Identification & Feeder Behaviour
Field profile of Dryobates pubescens: North America's smallest woodpecker, Hairy confusion marks, feeder behaviour, habitat, and breeding.
Eurasian Wryneck (Jynx torquilla): The Ant-eating Atypical Picid
Species account of Jynx torquilla, the Eurasian Wryneck: cryptic plumage, neck-twisting display, ant diet, migration, cavity use, and atypical picid traits.
American Three-toed Woodpecker (Picoides dorsalis): Boreal Spruce Bark Specialist
Field profile of Picoides dorsalis, the American Three-toed Woodpecker: spruce bark scaling, three-toed structure, yellow crown, boreal range, and nesting.
Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus): Identification & Habitat
Field profile of Dryocopus pileatus: North America's largest extant woodpecker, rectangular excavations, habitat, and suburban recovery.
Red-cockaded Woodpecker (Leuconotopicus borealis): Longleaf Pine Specialist
Ecology of Leuconotopicus borealis, the Red-cockaded Woodpecker: longleaf pine, living-tree cavities, resin wells, cooperative groups, and conservation.
Lewis's Woodpecker (Melanerpes lewis): The Aerial-fly-catching Picid
Profile of Melanerpes lewis, Lewis's Woodpecker: dark green plumage, aerial flycatching, mast caching, burned pine habitat, distribution, and breeding biology.
European Green Woodpecker (Picus viridis): The Yaffling Lawn-feeder
Natural history of Picus viridis, the European Green Woodpecker: yaffling call, ant-rich lawns, green plumage, distribution, habitat, and nesting.
Black-backed Woodpecker (Picoides arcticus): Burned-Forest Specialist
Species profile of Picoides arcticus, the Black-backed Woodpecker: black dorsal plumage, three-toed anatomy, post-fire beetle pulses, habitat, and nesting.
Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus): The Ground-feeding Woodpecker
Identification and ecology of Colaptes auratus, the Northern Flicker: ground feeding, ant diet, yellow-shafted and red-shafted forms, drumming, and nesting.
Great Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos major): Britain's Pied Drummer
Field profile of Dendrocopos major, the Great Spotted Woodpecker: pied plumage, spring drumming, garden feeders, nest predation, habitat, and breeding.
Red-headed Woodpecker (Melanerpes erythrocephalus): The Tricolour Open-woodland Picid
Field account of Melanerpes erythrocephalus, the Red-headed Woodpecker: tricolour plumage, open woodland habitat, food caching, decline, and breeding biology.