How to Attract Downy Woodpeckers: Suet, Food and Habitat

Here is how to attract downy woodpeckers: hang suet, add peanuts or black oil sunflower seed, and keep native plants and a few safe dead limbs in the yard. The Cornell Lab calls the downy the woodpecker most likely to visit a backyard feeder, and it lives year-round across most of the US, so a basic suet feeder near trees is often enough to bring one in within a season. Habitat keeps them nesting nearby: the Cornell Lab notes they excavate dead stubs averaging about 7 inches in diameter.

Quick answer: what downy woodpeckers need

Downy woodpecker at a glance

Figures are from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s All About Birds account.

How to identify a downy woodpecker

The downy is the smallest woodpecker in North America, barely larger than the chickadees and nuthatches it often forages with. The Cornell Lab puts it between a sparrow and a robin in size, and about two-thirds the size of a hairy woodpecker.

The overall look is checkered black and white:

• Black wings checked with white spots.
• A broad white stripe down the center of the back.
• A boldly striped black-and-white head.
• Clean white underparts.
• White outer tail feathers with some black spots or bars.
• A short, stubby bill that looks small for the bird’s head.

Male vs female downy woodpecker

• Males have a small red patch on the back of the head.
• Females lack the red and show a black-and-white head only.

Juveniles

The Cornell Lab notes that juvenile downies show red feathering on the cap, farther forward on the head than the adult male’s nape patch. Seeing a “red-capped” downy in summer usually means a young bird, not a different species.

Downy vs hairy woodpecker: how to tell them apart

This is one of the first identification challenges most backyard birders face, and the Cornell Lab calls it exactly that. The two species look nearly identical in pattern.

The bill is the most reliable single mark, because size is hard to judge when a bird is alone. Picture the distance from the base of the bill to the back of the head. On a downy the bill covers only a fraction of that distance. On a hairy it covers most or all of it.

Our guide on how to attract hairy woodpeckers covers the larger species in detail.

Other similar species

The Cornell Lab also lists ladder-backed woodpecker, Nuttall’s woodpecker, red-cockaded woodpecker and yellow-bellied sapsucker. The first two are western and southwestern species with barred backs rather than a white back stripe. Red-cockaded woodpeckers are rare birds of southeastern pine forests. Sapsuckers have a large white wing patch and a mottled back.

Where do downy woodpeckers live?

Downy woodpeckers are found across most of North America. Audubon describes them as permanent residents in much of the continent, avoiding the arid Southwest. The northernmost birds may move some distance south in winter, and some mountain birds descend to valleys.

Habitat

According to the Cornell Lab, downies prefer open woodlands, especially deciduous woods and streamside trees. They adapt well to people and are common in orchards, parks, suburbs and city yards, using fencerows for nesting and tall weeds for feeding. Audubon notes they tend to avoid conifer-only forest except where deciduous groves are mixed in.

That makes most leafy suburban yards with a few mature trees and some shrubs good downy habitat already.

What do downy woodpeckers eat?

Downy woodpeckers are mainly insect eaters. The Cornell Lab lists beetle larvae living in wood or bark, ants and caterpillars as main foods, along with crop pests such as corn earworms and bark beetles. Plant foods make up roughly 25 percent of the diet: berries, acorns and grains.

Their small size lets them reach food larger woodpeckers cannot. The Cornell Lab notes they forage on tiny branches and on the stems of weeds, and are known to dig fly larvae out of goldenrod galls in winter. Audubon adds that they do more tapping and excavating in winter and more gleaning from surfaces in summer.

Why males and females forage in different places

The Cornell Lab notes that males and females divide up winter foraging locations. In general, males tend to use smaller branches and weed stems, while females work larger branches and trunks. For your yard, this means variety helps: a mix of big trees, small trees, shrubs and tall perennials gives both sexes somewhere to feed.

Best foods for downy woodpeckers at feeders

1. Suet. The standard downy food and the easiest way to get a visit. Plain beef suet works in cold weather; no-melt blends hold up better in warm months. See our roundup of the best suet cakes and suet blends.
2. Black oil sunflower seed. Thin-shelled and high in fat. Downies take it from tube and hopper feeders. Our guide to black oil sunflower seed explains why it suits so many feeder birds.
3. Peanuts. Shelled peanuts or peanut pieces in a mesh feeder are popular with downies and many other clinging birds.
4. Chunky peanut butter. Listed by the Cornell Lab as a downy food. Smear a little into bark crevices or the holes of a log feeder. Use a plain product without added sugar or salt where possible.
5. Millet. The Cornell Lab lists millet, though it is a minor food for downies compared with suet and sunflower.

Best feeders for downy woodpeckers

Our roundup of the best suet feeders compares specific designs, including tail-prop and upside-down models.

Where to place a downy woodpecker feeder

Hang suet on or near a tree trunk or on a pole a short hop from trees. Woodpeckers feel safer with cover close by, and downies often move between a feeder and nearby branches. Our guide on where to put a bird feeder covers distances, height and window safety in more detail. The old fixed-distance rule for windows is no longer considered valid, so use that guide’s current advice.

How long does it take for a downy woodpecker to find a new feeder?

There is no fixed timeline. Downies often travel with mixed winter flocks of chickadees, titmice and nuthatches, so once those birds find your feeders, a downy may follow. In a yard with mature trees and existing chickadee traffic, that can happen quickly. In a new development with few trees, it can take much longer. A few things speed discovery:

1. Start in fall. Insects become scarce and mixed flocks settle into winter ranges, so birds are actively looking for reliable food.
2. Hang suet where it is visible from trees. A cage fixed to the side of a trunk, or on a pole within a short flight of branches, is easy for a passing bird to spot.
3. Add a sunflower feeder nearby. Chickadee and titmouse activity at a seed feeder draws attention to the whole station.
4. Keep it stocked. A feeder that is empty half the week teaches birds to look elsewhere.

Watching downy woodpeckers up close

Downies are tame by woodpecker standards and often feed at close range, which makes them a good species for learning field marks. A pair of binoculars at the window lets you check the bill length and tail spots that separate them from hairy woodpeckers. Our guide to the best binoculars for watching birds from your window covers models suited to short indoor distances.

Plants and habitat that attract downy woodpeckers

Feeders bring downies in. Habitat keeps them nesting and foraging nearby for most of the year.

Keep tall perennials standing through winter

Because downies feed on weed stems and galls, cutting every perennial back in fall removes winter food. Leave goldenrod, native sunflowers, asters and other sturdy stalks standing until spring. Goldenrod galls in particular are a known downy food source.

Native trees and shrubs that help

Choose plants native to your region; your cooperative extension office or native plant society can confirm the right species.

• Oaks. Oaks host a wide range of insects and produce acorns, both downy foods.
• Native fruiting shrubs. Dogwoods, serviceberry, viburnums and elderberry supply berries in late summer and fall.
• Willows, birches and aspens. Soft-wooded trees used by many small cavity nesters, and often rich in insects.
• Sumac and bayberry. Fruits that persist into winter in many regions.

Leave dead limbs and snags where safe

Downy woodpeckers need dead wood to nest. A dead branch, a small dead tree or a tall stump that poses no risk to people, buildings or power lines can become a nest site. When an arborist removes a hazardous tree, ask whether a tall, safe stub can be left.

Water

A shallow bird bath with a gentle slope and no more than 1 to 2 inches of water at the center suits downies and most small birds. In freezing weather, a heated bath offers open water when little else does. For more on cold-weather feeding and water, see our winter bird feeding guide.

Downy woodpecker nesting

Downy woodpeckers excavate a new nest cavity each spring rather than reusing old ones.

• Site: dead trees or dead parts of live trees. The Cornell Lab notes they typically choose small stubs averaging about 7 inches in diameter, often angled, with the entrance on the underside. Audubon gives typical nest heights of 12 to 30 feet.
• Excavation: both sexes dig, over 1 to 3 weeks.
• Entrance: round, 1 to 1.5 inches across.
• Cavity: 6 to 12 inches deep, widening toward the bottom, lined only with wood chips.
• Eggs: 3 to 8 white eggs.
• Incubation: about 12 days, shared by both sexes.
• Nestling period: 18 to 21 days.
• Broods: usually one per year; Audubon notes possibly two in the South.

The Cornell Lab also notes that downies have been found nesting inside the walls of buildings.

Will downy woodpeckers use a nest box?

Occasionally, but it is not the way to plan. NestWatch’s birdhouse guide does not list the downy among its featured nest box species, and the birds’ habit of excavating fresh cavities means standard boxes are often ignored. Some people pack a box full of wood chips so a woodpecker can “excavate” it, but treat this as an experiment. Old downy holes are used later by other small cavity nesters, which is another good reason to leave dead wood standing.

Seasonal calendar

Common problems and fixes

Starlings take over the suet

European starlings can clear a suet cage quickly. An upside-down suet feeder often helps, since woodpeckers feed from below while starlings find it harder. See our guide to keeping starlings and grackles off feeders for more options.

Suet goes rancid or melts in summer

Use no-melt blends in warm weather, offer smaller amounts, and hang suet in shade. Replace anything that smells off or looks moldy.

A downy is drumming on the house

Drumming on siding, gutters, vent caps and metal is territorial signaling, mostly in late winter and spring. The Cornell Lab notes downies drum on wood or metal to communicate. It usually stops once nesting is under way. Covering the favorite spot with lightweight netting or a strip of flashing may redirect the bird. Actual holes in wood siding can indicate insects, so it is worth checking.

Squirrels raid the suet

Pole-mount the feeder with a baffle, away from branches and fences. Hot-pepper suet is another option; birds do not react to capsaicin the way mammals do.

Common mistakes when attracting downy woodpeckers

• Cutting every perennial down in fall. Seed heads and galls are winter food.
• Removing all dead wood. Safe snags and dead limbs are nest sites.
• Letting suet spoil in summer heat. Switch to no-melt blends and smaller amounts.
• Relying on a nest box. Downies prefer to excavate their own cavities.
• Hanging suet far from trees. Downies prefer a short hop to cover.

Sources

• Hairy Woodpecker identification, All About Birds
• Downy Woodpecker, Audubon Guide to North American Birds
• All About Birdhouses, NestWatch