Some woodpeckers stay in the same place year-round, but in other instances, woodpeckers do head south for winter. Some species are short distance travelers, while others make epic annual migration journeys.
Migratory Woodpeckers on the Move
Of the 22 species of woodpeckers in the United States and Canada, nearly one third of them migrate from at least a portion of their range. The woodpeckers that migrate are often specialized eaters.
All four kinds of sapsuckers are at least partial migrants. Yellow bellied sapsuckers show the most extreme woodpecker migration. The species nests from the Appalachians to Alaska, but come winter, the birds invade the southeastern United States and Mexico.
Williamson’s and red naped sapsuckers show similar migration movements shifting between the Pacific Northwest and Rocky Mountain summer homes to southwestern winter escapes.
Red breasted sapsuckers stick to their west coast ranges throughout the year.
Red headed woodpeckers are year round residents from central Florida to the United States vowel belt from Iowa to Ohio. In summer their range estends north to southern Canada.
Northern flickers breed across much of the United States and Canada. Both red shafted and yellow shafted varieties of this species largely exit Canada as the snowflakes fall.
Resident Woodpeckers
Migration is often triggered by food. The woodpeckers that predominately make their living eating seeds and suet can survive harsh winter conditions. Many woodpeckers will utilize tree cavities to cope with cold winter nights.
Downy and hairy woodpeckers cover much of North America all year.
Red bellied woodpeckers are common in the central and eastern portions of North America.
Another species that seems to be expanding its range is the pileated woodpecker. Forest recovery efforts have helped this big tree dependent species recover.
American three toed and black backed woodpeckers are species of the northern woods and western mountains. Both species prefer burned forests.
Acorn woodpeckers store hordes of nuts, up to 50,000 servings, so they have access to food all of the time. These acorns are stored in granary trees and poles.
Loose colonies of endangered red cockaded woodpeckers reside in pine forests of the southeast. This species will often tap into live trees encouraging sap flow as a way to project their cavities from predation.
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