Woodpeckers

Why do woodpeckers peck and how to stop it?

While many birds sing to claim their territories, woodpeckers have a different method. Woodpeckers knock on hard surfaces like wood to communicate with others and attract a mate. One bird may drum more than 8,000 times per day, and a downy woodpecker typically strikes 16 times per second. They typically find a dry, brittle tree limb and drum on it, hammering with rapid bursts.

Northern Flickers

Like many other members of the woodpecker family, northern flickers sometimes use man-made objects to drum up attention. Many northern flickers drum on chimneys and house gutters.

If they find a metal object to drum on, like your chimney cap, it may echo even more loudly than a dead wooden branch. This is usually seasonal behavior and most likely will last a few weeks. You can purchase flexible foam or plastic padding and wrap it around the metal cap. The muffled sound will encourage woodpeckers to drum some place else.

Why do woodpeckers peck on wood and trees?

Pileated woodpeckers feed on carpenter ants, and if the tree is filled with ant colonies, they will take out big sections of the trunk to get at them. Even though pileated woodpeckers are large and flashy, they are inconspicuous and out in the woods most of the time. Pileated woodpeckers do not dig cavities in healthy trees. They only peck at wood already infested with ants.

Woodpeckers pecking windows

Again, woodpeckers will drill on windows as a form of communication. Hard surfaces like windows, tin roofs, the eaves of your house, or aluminum siding provide great amplification for attracting a mate. To deter the woodpeckers you can use reflective streamers which are the most effective.