The Benefit of a Woodpecker

Have you ever been awaken to the sound of "tat, tat, tat" on your roof or a nearby tree? Or how about thinking it was construction nearby only to finally zoom in on Woody the Woodpecker, himself? Annoying as it may be, have you ever thought why the woodpecker might be pecking away? It could be an early warning sign for you as a heads up on that dead tree in your back yard or termites on your house. To us carpenter ants and termites are a big problem, however to a woodpecker they are lunch.

There are over one hundred and eighty species of woodpeckers. The largest in North America is the Pileated Woodpecker which is the size of a crow which is found in the southeastern part of the United States. Woodpeckers also help trees from being chewed up by insects. However, they also could be letting you know you need to be concerned about that old tree in your yard because they only peck away at soft wood. Besides termites they will eat carpenter ants and beetle larvae. Although they will peel back the bark of a tree with their pecking, they prefer to peck only on soft, dead or dying trees for nesting purposes. The healthy trees are too hard for them to peck in order to make a nest; although, they will still go after the insects climbing on them.

Before selling our home, we had a wooden arbor in the back yard that had wood rot. I noticed carpenter ants climbing on it. There was a woodpecker that would keep coming back to it, pecking away. In addition to that, we also had some mulch that surrounded the arbor. After researching about woodpeckers and what attracted them, I noticed they ate carpenter ants and termites. So, my husband decided to look under the mulch for any nests of ants. However, what he discovered were termites. So from that point on whenever I saw a woodpecker, I took notice.

They do supplement their diet with fruits and nuts. The woodpecker has a long sticky tongue which is just about the size of its body to capture and drag out the insects they find in holes. An average woodpecker lives 4-11 years. They tap 8,000 to 12,000 taps a day! All woodpeckers have bold patterns on their bodies; however they all have some kind of red on their neck. Typically male birds drum on a hollow log in late winter or early summer to attract a mate. Drumming can also mean "hey, dude, this is my turf".

So, if you don't like the sound of the woodpecker, you can just shoo them away by clapping your hands loud. However, before you shoo them away, make sure you notice where they are pecking.