The Downy Woodpecker

There are many different types of woodpeckers in the Omaha/Mandan Park area, including the Red-Headed Woodpecker, the Red-Bellied Woodpecker, the Hairy Woodpecker and the Downy Woodpecker.  Of all of these, the Downy is the smallest, and also, at least in my experience, the friendliest.  They are the only woodpeckers I feed who will actually come to eat when I am sitting nearby (albeit after several nervous glances and some slight hesitation).

Male Downy Woodpeckers have a bright red spot on the back of their heads.  This is the easiest way to distinguish between the males and the females, who otherwise pretty much look alike.  In the winter, Downy Woodpeckers tend to group up with birds of other species, including titmice, chickadees and nuthatches, so if you see one of these birds at your feeder, the others may very well be nearby.

If you are interested in attracting these very pretty (and engaging) little birds into your backyard, the following tips are helpful:

Filmed by SCB

Habitat
Downy woodpeckers love insects, and the more trees you have with insects on them, the more likely they are to hang around.  They are especially fond of ants and other wood burrowing insects, so having them in your yard serves a practical purpose, as well!  Sometimes they do leave marks on the bark of my Bradford Pear Tree, but the tree thus far at least has not exhibited any ill effects from this.

Food
Aside from bugs, of course, there are some other foods that these little woodpeckers are especially fond of. They like sunflower seeds, they like peanuts, and they love suet!  They are the most common visitors at my suet feeder, and are so proficient at extracting the suet that other birds will shadow them and pick up what they drop onto the ground (especially sparrows!).  They like all kinds of nuts, but tend to be a little shy, so never really seem to get their share of these when I put them out.

Keep in mind that if you do put nuts out, you will attract other birds who are fond of them, especially blue jays!  I love blue jays, but really do not want them in my yard during the breeding season because of their unfortunate appetite  for other birds' babies.  Therefore, I only feed them in the fall and the winter.

Another visitor who adores nuts, of course, is the squirrel, so I try not to put nuts out during the spring and summer for the same reason (squirrels also have an unfortunate tendency to raid birds' nests).

Putting suet out in the winter will attract even more Downy's, because there are less available food sources, so if you are thinking of feeding them, the upcoming months are a good time to start!  Another plus about suet feeders is that they leave no mess!  There are various types and flavors of suet, ranging from orange to berry to peanut and even bug, and they are commonly available in hardware stores and many grocery stores.  All of these are equally popular with the woodpeckers.

Remember to hang your suet feeder upside down, or the starlings will come and clean it out in a matter of hours!

Do you have at tip about attracting or feeding Downy woodpeckers? If so, please leave a comment!