Woodpeckers

Marie Hildebrandt, Erie County Master Gardener Woodpeckers are considered nature's ideal friends because they help control the insect population without pesticides, but when they decide a person's home is just as attractive, they can be pests.There are seven species of woodpeckers in Ohio. Of the seven the yellow-bellied sapsucker only passes through the region during migration from March through April and September and October. The other six, which can be found in Ohio year-round, include the red-headed woodpecker, the red-bellied woodpecker, the pileated woodpecker, the northern flicker, the hairy woodpecker and the downy woodpecker.Woodpeckers are feisty little critters. To watch them pound on tree trunks you have to wonder how they can keep up the pace. They are thick skulled birds who have powerful neck muscles that make it natural for them to deliver the sharp blows needed to penetrate wood without damaging any organs. Their sharp powerful beaks are shaped like chisels which allow them to bore into wood. Their tongues are extremely long (they curl around the back of the head between the skull and skin when not in use) and can be inserted deep into a tree trunk or limb to dislodge insects and larvae hidden in deep crevices in wood and bark. Depending on the species the woodpecker tongue either has spear-like tips, a brush-like tongue or bristles concentrated on the tip.The pecking serves a number of purposes. It can mean the woodpecker is exploring for food, excavating for a home, advertising for a mate or marking territory. Not only do they drum on wooden surfaces when marking their territory or advertising for mates, they are also known to drum on gutters, downspouts, television antenna, metal trash cans – any object that will deliver the message loud and clear.According to experts from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the woodpecker diet consists mainly of insects, berries, nuts and seeds collected from trees and shrubs. They provide a great service eating insects, larvae and spiders, but are pests when tapping on houses, buildings and utility poles. When foraging for insects, they tend to excavate diseased, dying or rotting trees, but don't limit themselves to declining trees. They can damage some trees because feeding can weaken a tree, making it susceptible to secondary disease and insect problems. Houses and building with infestations of insects under the siding or eaves are also subject to woodpecker food foraging.As one of nature's natural exterminators, woodpeckers are lauded for rooting out and helping destroy invasive insects in landscapes, parks and forests. One report out of Chicago claims woodpeckers were preying on emerald ash borers and in one instance were responsible for eating 85 percent of the borers in an infested tree.Buildings which are susceptible to woodpeckers include those with redwood and cedar shake siding or clapboard, hardwood siding, grooved plywood siding, cedar shingles and cedar tongue and groove siding. They have also been known to damage fascia boards along roof lines, cedar trim boards – basically any wood produce located on a building. Often their efforts are to create roosting holes or nesting holes in the building, but they also forage for insects and their larvae, such as the carpenter bee.Woodpeckers are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918, which means extreme measures should not be taken if the woodpeckers are creating damage. Experts recommend using visual deterrents, shiny objects, balloons or small mirrors; wood treatments, seal openings with caulk, wood preservatives; anti-roosting treatments; diversionary tactics, a nesting box, food, a dead tree limb or tree stump; or exclusion techniques like netting.Just remember, not all woodpeckers are all bad and there is nothing quite like watching them forage as they grace the garden with their presence.