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How to Attract Woodpeckers to Open Ground

The insect-eating habits of woodpeckers benefit the environment and humans, but some bird populations are declining because of dwindling habitat. As their name implies, woodpeckers tend to favor trees as food sources and nesting sites, and so most prefer forests. However, a few species make use of more open areas. Attracting them to open ground -- such as the edges of woodlands, fields and clearings, burned forests and flooded lowlands -- can be challenging but not impossible if you consider their needs. Like all wild animals, woodpeckers require access to adequate food, shelter and water to thrive.

Instructions

- 1
  
  Posts in open areas with few trees provide substitutes for perching birds.
  
  Provide posts, dead tree snags and other perches for woodpeckers to scan the area for flying insects to catch for food. Species such as Lewis's woodpecker, found in the West, commonly engage in this type of "fly-catching" behavior.
- 2
  
  Many woodpecker species are omnivores and will feed on fruiting plants like sumac.
  
  Plant native shrubs that produce fruits and nuts for omnivorous species, such as the red-headed woodpecker. Select locally-occurring varieties of holly, serviceberry (also called wild-plum), dogwood, bayberry, elderberry, sumac or thimbleberry.
- 3
  
  Flickers prefer ants and other ground-dwelling insects to foods found from trees.
  
  Leave portions of open space undisturbed to appeal to ground-foragers, such as northern flickers, which eat ants, beetles, insect larvae and even snails. This species has two subspecies, one with noticeable red shafts under their wings in the eastern U.S., and another with yellow-shafted feathers in the western U.S. All flickers show a bright white rump when flying.
- 4
  
  Bird feeders holding both sunflower seeds and suet cakes appeal to woodpeckers.
  
  Offer seeds (especially favored black-oil sunflower seeds), cracked corn, raisins, peanuts and suet from platform or wire cage-feeders that may entice woodpeckers to open areas, where natural food sources may be scarce.
- 5
  
  Dead trees provide woodpeckers with perches, food, shelter and nesting sites.
  
  Retain dead and dying trees to provide nesting holes and perching snags for woodpeckers. These birds also drum rapidly on dead, hollow trees during breeding season to attract mates or claiming their territories. Even stumps, logs and decaying wood give woodpeckers opportunities for finding favorite insect foods. Flickers sometimes use burrows in dirt banks formerly occupied by belted kingfishes or bank swallows. They also prefer horizontal surfaces of fallen logs or branches, rather than vertical trees trunks.
- 6
  
  Pole-mounted boxes offer nesting sites for woodpeckers with few tree options.
  
  Mount nesting boxes on posts or poles 10 to 20 feet from the ground in areas absent of trees. Species such as red-headed woodpeckers and northern flickers take up residence in boxes that are 6 to 7 inches wide and at least twice as tall with an entrance hole 2 to 2.5 inches in diameter near the top.
- 7
  
  Pileated woodpeckers and other species inhabit woods rather than open spaces.
  
  Convert some parts of open areas into future stands of trees, such as oak and pine, to provide future habitat for woodpeckers that prefer wooded areas for nesting and feeding.
- 8
  
  Flooded fields and meadows provide water sources for wildlife in treeless areas.
  
  Ensure woodpeckers have access to fresh water, to increase the likelihood that they may inhabit the area. Territory size and density varies with species, but at least several acres may be required for one woodpecker pair. If a water source -- such as a pond, lake or bog -- is not already present close-by, woodpeckers may not be attracted to that tract of land.

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