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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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-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.
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.
Hairy Woodpecker (Leuconotopicus villosus): Identification & Downy Confusion
Field identification of Leuconotopicus villosus, the Hairy Woodpecker: Downy separation, drum cadence, habitat, diet, and breeding.
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.
Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus): Identification & Habitat
Field profile of Dryocopus pileatus: North America's largest extant woodpecker, rectangular excavations, habitat, and suburban recovery.