Woodpeckers In Wisconsin

The delightfully loud woodpeckers, which love to bang around in trees close to your bedroom window, can be found and heard all over America. Because of their unique bill, woodpeckers can graze for insects under tree bark. They are well recognized around the world, but for the sake of this book, we will concentrate on woodpeckers found in the state of Wisconsin. There are 8 species of woodpeckers in Wisconsin and they are:

• Hairy Woodpecker
• Red-bellied Woodpecker
• Downy Woodpecker
• Red-headed Woodpecker
• Black-backed Woodpecker
• Pileated Woodpecker
• Northern Flicker
• Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

The state of Wisconsin is situated in the north-central region of the United States. It is surrounded by Lake Superior and Lake Michigan, two of the Great Lakes. As the 23rd-largest state, it includes a lot of woodlands and mixed woods that provide excellent habitats for many kinds of woodpeckers. The above 8 species of woodpeckers in Wisconsin can be found in the state year-round, with the exception of the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. The size, coloring, and characteristics of each species will be covered in more depth below.

1. Hairy Woodpecker

Length: 7.1 – 10.1in

Weight: 1.4 – 3.4oz

Wingspan: 13.0 – 16.1in

Hairy Woodpeckers are larger in body and bill than Downy Woodpeckers. Their heads are striped black and white with a spot of red near the back, and they sit upright and watchful with their black and white patterned plumage. Although Hairy Woodpeckers in Wisconsin are found year-round, they do appear less frequently than Downy Woodpeckers.

Tall trees in woods and woodlands are preferred by this species. They are reluctant to enter public spaces like parks and cities. Like other woodpeckers, they can be seen hunting for uninteresting insects at the tree trunk and close to the major branches.

2. Red-bellied Woodpecker

Length: 9.4in

Weight: 2.0 – 3.2oz

Wingspan: 13.0 – 16.5in

Striking barred backs, pale plumage, and red caps make the Red-bellied Woodpecker easy to spot year-round throughout most of Wisconsin. Although their name suggests they have a red belly, this is not always the case. They enjoy hanging out in eastern woodlands where they peck and call while sitting in the middle of the trees. In the spring and summer, Red-bellied Woodpeckers can be heard calling loudly.

These woodpeckers exhibit a number of distinctive traits. They will invade other birds’ nests, store extra food in tree cavities, and fly erratically as a source of entertainment and flying maneuver practice.

3. Downy Woodpecker

Length: 5.5 – 6.7in

Weight: 0.7 – 1.0oz

Wingspan: 9.8 – 11.8in

As previously said, Downy Woodpeckers resemble Hairy Woodpeckers in terms of color, although they are the smaller of the two. In Wisconsin, you can find them all year round in backyards, gardens, parks, and wooded areas. Comparing this species to others Additionally, they have been seen flying around hummingbird feeders.

The Downy Woodpecker, like all woodpeckers, prefers to drum out a tune when perched on a tree rather than sing like other birds because of their blocky heads and black and white plumage. For the same result, they will also pick at the metal with their claws. In reality, they only want to tap out a tune and communicate; most people mistakenly believe that all the noise they create is for finding food.

4. Red-headed Woodpecker

Length: 7.5 – 9.0in

Weight: 2.0 – 3.2oz

Wingspan: 16.5in

With their vivid redheads and striking black and white wings, red-headed woodpeckers are simple to identify. They’re frequently described as flying checkerboards. Sadly, during the past 50 years, their population has decreased. Red-headed woodpeckers like to nest and forage in open forested areas, close to decaying wood in marshes, or in pine-tree-dotted savannas.

This species’ affinity for storing food makes it comparable to the Red-bellied woodpecker. The Red-headed woodpecker, on the other hand, takes things a step further and may cover the dried meal with wood or bark. Only four other species are known to accomplish this.

5. Black-backed Woodpecker

Length: 9.1in

Weight: 2.1 – 3.0oz

Wingspan: 15.5 – 16.5in

The Black-backed Woodpecker gets its name from the fact that it frequently inhabits burned woodlands. Due to their rich black plumage, they blend in perfectly with the burned wood. They are medium-sized, around the same size as the Hairy Woodpecker, with a white and grey underbelly and face. The bulk of Black-backed Woodpeckers is found in northern Wisconsin throughout the year, although they also wander up through Canada.

6. Pileated Woodpecker

Length: 15.8 – 19.3in

Weight: 8.6 – 12.3oz

Wingspan: 26.0 – 29.5in

Pileated Woodpeckers are year-round residents of Wisconsin and are the biggest and most easily recognized. This species, which is approaching the size of a common crow, is regarded as the largest woodpecker species in North America. Along with a vivid red crest, they have dazzling white spots on their head and chest.

The big, distinctive, oval-shaped holes that this woodpecker makes in trees are intriguing. In dead or downed, rotting trees, you can find them searching for carpenter ants. When they want a suet snack, they will wander into yards.

7. Northern Flicker

Length: 11.0 – 12.2in

Weight: 3.9 – 5.6oz

Wingspan: 16.5 – 20.1in

When compared to their rivals, the Northern Flicker’s coloring is particularly distinctive. Both the yellow-shafted and red-shafted varieties of this bird have dull, grayish-brown feathers with numerous little dark patches and markings on the underside.

In Wisconsin, you can frequently see these woodpeckers scrounging about in the dirt looking for food all year long. They enjoy exploring wooded areas and the margins of woods. The Northern Flicker uses its curved bill to burrow into the ground rather than pierce trees.

8. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Length: 7.1 – 8.7in

Weight: 1.5 – 1.9oz

Wingspan: 13.4 – 15.8in

Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers are undoubtedly sap-sucking woodpeckers, as suggested by their name. This woodpecker lives in deciduous woodlands and uses shallow holes and sap to catch insects. When eating, they leave behind neatly rowed sap wells.

There are two types of holes they can make: round or rectangular. As was already noted, the round holes are deep and employed for sap probing, whilst the shallow holes help to reach sap and capture insects. Only seen in Wisconsin during the breeding season, these birds are black and white with red patterns on their caps. Their throat patches are red on the males, and their undersides are yellow.

Woodpeckers: Is Attracting Them a Good Idea?

Nothing beats waking up on a gorgeous spring morning to the jackhammering of a woodpecker, as we said at the beginning. Even though birds are beautiful to look at and intriguing to watch, it is best to avoid letting them into your yard. Home damage from woodpeckers can cost tens of thousands of dollars. Learn more about woodpecker damage indicators and how to prevent them from settling on your property by reading the information below.

Signs of Woodpecker Damage

They are pests because of their habit, despite the fact that it is interesting. Various surfaces, including wood and stucco, can sustain damage from a woodpecker’s repeated drilling. Rows or columns of small to medium-sized, deep, or shallow holes are typical woodpecker damage. Even bigger nesting holes could be visible. Because they constantly make their holes audibly, woodpeckers can always be distinguished from insects. In contrast to other birds, woodpeckers will look for food or shelter close to metal gutters or chimneys in order to tap angrily to mark and defend their area.

When attempting to convince a woodpecker to go, it is essential to avoid hurting or killing it. Like all birds, woodpeckers play a crucial role in ecology. Despite not migrating, they are protected in the United States under the Migratory Bird Act of 1918. Read on to discover how to keep them out of your yard.

Three Ways to Get Rid of Woodpeckers

Remove or Change the Food Source

Since insects are a woodpecker’s main source of food, getting rid of infestations will be crucial. Check for termites, beehives, and any fallen or rotting trees. You can either treat your yard or hire a specialist to get rid of any unwelcome pests that might entice woodpeckers. Get any dead trees removed from your property if you want to keep woodpeckers away.

Even if you take the aforementioned precautions, woodpeckers might still frequent your yard. Another option is to give them something else to eat. Suet, a food produced from cow fat, is a favorite food of woodpeckers. In the late fall, winter, and early spring, they frequently throng to this.

Place the feeder close to where the woodpeckers are. Move the feeder gradually further from the starting location as the days go by. When summertime arrives, take the feeder entirely down. The woodpeckers will be able to realize that there are no trees or food sources nearby thanks to this.

If there is room, growing fruit or berry trees can be tried as another food source. Fruits and berries are favorites of woodpeckers and will keep them away from houses while also giving them food and a place to hang out.

Frighten Them Away

Similar to other birds, woodpeckers can be startled by things that emit light or generate noise. Think of using wind chimes, vintage CDs, pinwheels, or metal pie pans as tree decorations. Using reflective tape on trees can help deter woodpeckers. Long strips of tape can be hung from the branches of the trees, where they will blow in the wind and reflect light. It should be noted that, depending on the weather in your area, the tape will need to be changed periodically.

Decoy owls are another deterrent that can be placed in a tree to keep woodpeckers away. Owls are predators of woodpeckers, and they will feel threatened. However, it is important to move the owl regularly. Woodpeckers are smart, and leaving an owl in one place for too long will prove that it is of no harm to them. Sometimes even after moving the owl from tree to tree, homeowners have reported that it can become ineffective.

Prevent Woodpeckers from Returning

A more long-lasting approach to deter woodpeckers from coming back is with bird netting. The surface, which is being harmed, is hung about 3 to 4 inches from the mesh netting. The woodpeckers will be physically discouraged from trying to hammer at the surface by this netting. The neighboring trees can also be shielded with this netting. Unfortunately, depending on how much netting you need, this approach takes time and may be pricey. This approach is one of the least obvious, like the owl.

We hope the above tutorial has expanded your knowledge of the eight woodpeckers in Wisconsin species, as well as how to spot and avoid damage to your home and property.