How to Get Rid of Woodpeckers

by Fran Prisco

Woodpeckers have become one of the biggest nuisances of the pest birds in North America.  Besides the constant “tap, tap” that drives most homeowners crazy, they are also leaving holes in the trim, wood siding even stucco of homes.  It is instinct that causes the woodpecker to leave baseball size holes in the sides of wood homes and buildings.  They are looking for insects, nesting cavities or communicating with other woodpeckers.

Ways to Deter Woodpeckers

There are several humane and effective woodpecker deterrents that can be used to get rid of woodpeckers from the sides of buildings and homes.

Sound Deterrents Scare Woodpeckers Away

An easy way to get rid of woodpeckers is by installing a bird sound deterrent.  These sound deterrents will play predator calls and woodpecker distress calls.  The woodpecker will hear the calls and by instinct move on to an area that is perceived safer.  Most bird sound deterrents are made to be used outdoors, they are water resistant and made of rugged plastic.  At the first site of a woodpecker, install the sound deterrent and the bird should go away.

Woodpecker Scare Deterrents

There is a wide variety of scare devices on the market to get rid of woodpeckers.  These include scare balloons, Mylar flash tape and scare eye diverters.  When hung by the area that the woodpeckers are attacking, the reflective scare deterrents cause a distraction zone and the woodpeckers will move on.

Woodpecker Deterrent Netting

One way to deter pest woodpeckers is using woodpecker deterrent netting.  Hanging a plastic netting from the eaves of your home or building creates a “curtain” that the woodpeckers cannot get through. This will force the woodpeckers elsewhere to do their dastardly deed of creating holes in your wood siding.

Installing the Woodpecker Netting

Woodpecker deterrent netting can easily be attached to the end of the eave of the home and draped down.  This blocks the wall making it difficult for the woodpecker to get at the siding of the home.  Once the woodpeckers have gone it is safe to remove the netting and save for the next spring or fall, when woodpeckers are active again.

It is always recommended to install any type of bird control before the birds are a problem.  If you have had bird control issues in the past, install bird control deterrents before you have a problem again.

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Woodpecker Deterrents to Bird Proof Your Summer Home

by Alex A. Kecskes

Woodpeckers often do a lot of damage to vacant summer or vacation homes. Regrettably, it's not until your siding resembles Swiss cheese that you finally realize you have a woodpecker problem.
The birds will drill holes into wood siding, window frames, eaves, trim and fascia boards. Woodpeckers generally like to hammer cedar and redwood siding. They'll also attack fir, pine, and cypress in a pinch. And they'll choose natural wood surfaces over painted wood. They seem to zero in on new construction and rustic, channeled plywood with cedar or redwood veneers. The birds will create holes in a narrow horizontal line looking for insects. If you have plastic parts in your rooftop water-heating solar panels or electrical solar panels, woodpeckers can cause you plenty of grief.

Then there's all the drumming these annoying birds do. Woodpeckers seem enjoy drumming in the springtime and choose wood and other areas where their drumming makes the loudest most resonant sounds. Areas like metal rain gutters, downspouts, chimney caps, TV dish antennas, rooftop plumbing vents, and metal roof valleys are common targets. The birds will drum intermittently all day long—for weeks, even months at a time.
If they drove you nuts last year, you may be tempted to shoot them or poison them, but be warned: Woodpeckers are migratory, non-game birds that are protected by the Federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act. In particular, the red-cockaded woodpecker (Picoides borealis) and the ivory-billed woodpecker (Campephilus principalis) are on the Endangered Species list and cannot be touched under penalty of law.

All is not lost, however. For there are effective, humane woodpecker repellants you can use to keep these annoying birds at bay.

One of the most effective methods of excluding woodpeckers from damaging wood siding under your eaves is to place lightweight plastic bird netting over the area. Plastic bird netting comes in a variety of mesh sizes and a 3/4-inch mesh is ideal for most woodpeckers. Leave a 3-inch space between the netting and the damaged building so that birds cannot drum their beaks through the mesh. You might also try to attach the netting to the overhanging eaves, and then reverse back to the siding below the damaged area. Be sure to secure the netting tightly so that the birds have no way to get behind it. The good thing about most bird netting is that it now comes in various colors to match your home's color scheme, so if you install it correctly, it virtually disappears from view.

You might also try to install some visual woodpecker deterrents like banners that crinkle in the breeze and reflect sunlight. Balloons work too, especially the one's with large predator eyes on them. For best effect, these woodpecker deterrents should be rotated so birds don't get used to them. Woodpeckers are pretty smart.

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Woodpeckers are Coming to a Home Near You

If you have a wood-shingled home with lots of open beams, you could be vulnerable to woodpeckers. If you have a patio cover or gazebo with nooks and crannies where birds can build a nest, you've got an open invitation to woodpeckers. If your garage has wood shingles or eaves, say hello to woodpeckers and expensive repairs.

Your only defense is these cases is a good offense—a safe and effective bird control strategy. One of the best strategies is to install and implement woodpecker deterrents before woodpeckers arrive for the spring.

Before getting into details about which woodpecker deterrents you should use, let's look at some of the woodpeckers you're likely to face. 

Golden-Front Woodpecker. This mid-sized bird is about 11 inches long. It has a gold stripe across the face and behind the neck. Some birds in this family have a small spot of yellow, orange or red in the center of their stomach. They have a pale tan breast with a black-and-white "zebra-stripe" or checkerboard pattern across the back and wings.

Red-Belly Woodpecker. This bird has a pale red back to the nape of its neck and a pale pink belly. Males have a longer and wider bill than the female.

Red-headed Woodpecker. This bird is about 8 inches long. Adults have a black back with white wing tips and underbelly. The head is deep red.

Acorn Woodpecker. A medium sized bird about 9 inches long, adults have black heads, back wings and tails, white chest and facial markings and large white eyes.

Ladder-Back Woodpecker. About 6 inches long, this bird has a black-and-white stripe on its back and wings with a pale underbelly and darker spots on the sides. Males have a red head spot, flecked with black or black and white. Females are usually substantially smaller and without red markings.

Downy Woodpecker. The smallest woodpecker in North America, the downy features a proportionately short beak (less than the length of its head), a white stripe down his back and a white underbelly.

Hairy Woodpecker. Typically 7 or 8 10 inches long, this bird has a white, off-white, pale grey or tan underbelly, black-and-white patterned back and wings, and a white or pale stripe down the back. Males may have two little red spots or a red nape patch.

Red-cockaded Woodpecker. This mid-sized bird is black with white striping and large white patches on either side of the head. The underside is white with black speckles. They have a small patch of red behind the eyes on either side.

Northern flicker At 12 inches, this is the second largest of the common woodpeckers of North America. The golden-shafted variety is most common in the eastern and northern part of North America, while the red-shafted variety is more often seen in the west. Flickers are typically gray and brown with black striped markings across the back. The underside is light grey or pale tan with darker speckles.

Pileated Woodpecker.  A large bird averaging 18 inches long, these birds feature a bright red crested cap on the top of their heads. The adult males also have a red strip on either side of the bill. They are almost black, with contrasting white marks on the face.

So now you know what the "enemy" looks like, you can prepare for their onslaught. Some of the best woodpecker deterrents are listed below:

Bird Netting. This exclusionary woodpecker deterrent has been widely used with considerable success. Choose plastic netting made of a mesh that is fine enough to prevent the bird’s wings from getting caught. Manufacturers offer U.V. protected polypropylene netting in various mesh sizes and colors.

Bird Scare Devices. These are reflective foils, shiny tape banners and balloons that make woodpeckers too nervous to hang around. They crackle in the breeze and reflect the sunlight. The best balloons have large predator eyes.

Sonic Devices. Woodpeckers are deathly afraid of hawks. These devices can be set up to broadcast hawk sounds attacking a bird—this is not what your average woodpecker wants to hear while they're building a nest.

Remember, the best strategy is to install these woodpecker deterrents before woodpeckers arrive.

Woodpeckers on Homes…the Damage Can be Costly

by Alex A. Kecskes

Woodpeckers on homes can give homeowners an awful lot of grief. They will tap-tap night and day on aluminum siding and wood, and leave nasty little holes in fascia or trim boards, on wood beams, even stucco or brick. They'll puncture metal gutters, downspouts, chimney tops and roof vents. They can quickly disfigure board-and batten or tongue-and-groove siding, especially at the seams, leaving gaping, baseball size holes. Instinct makes them do it. The birds are simply looking for insects, nesting cavities, or ways to communicate with other woodpeckers.

There are 22 species of woodpeckers in North America, the most common being the Downey Woodpecker. Also quite ubiquitous are the Hairy Woodpecker, Pileated Woodpecker and the Northern Flicker. The birds are protected under the Federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act, so you can put away your BB gun, poisons or other lethal traps. Any bird control measure used to deter woodpeckers on homes must be non-lethal and humane.  Fortunately, there are a number of humane and highly effective woodpecker deterrents you can use to discourage woodpeckers from your home.

Bird Proofing for Woodpeckers

by Alex A. Kecskes

It's that time of year again.  When woodpeckers come a knocking and holes start appearing all around your home, patio, gazebo and even your wooden hot tub.

You can't really blame them. They have their reasons for turning your property into "Swiss cheese." One big reason: they're just looking for a meal. They also tap away during their mating season. Woodpeckers love to tap-tap endlessly on aluminum siding and fascia or trim boards on wood, stucco or brick. And this includes metal gutters, downspouts, chimney tops and roof vents. Time to bird proof your property.

Woodpecker roosting or nesting holes are often found in structures near wooded areas, in clapboard, board-and batten or tongue-and-groove siding made of redwood or cedar. Regrettably, woodpeckers prefer to drill holes in the seams of siding, since there's very little resistance at that juncture. It doesn't matter if the seams are vertical or horizontal, the holes will usually be quite large--baseball size on average. These holes are most often created in the late summer and fall as the birds prepare for winter. Nesting holes, on the other hand, are usually drilled out at the start of the breeding season--between late April and May.

How to Get Rid of Woodpeckers

Image via Wikipedia

Woodpeckers can cause hundreds of dollars of damage each year to homeowners.  They can also be a nuisance, hammering all day on the side of your home, telephone pole, tree or other noisy area.  It seems that woodpeckers hammer for several reasons: to attract mates, establish or defend their territory, create a nesting or roosting site and to search for insects for food.  They will drum on all types of substrates including wood, metal, plastic and stucco.  They seem to love the loud sounds that they produce.   All of this drumming can create costly damage for homeowners and building management.  Woodpeckers will frequently damage cedar, rough pine and redwood siding and even some synthetic stucco finishes; causing hundreds of dollars in damage each year.

Woodpeckers are migratory birds and are thus protected by the Federal Migratory Bird Treat Act.  This means you must be very careful when choosing a method of deterring woodpeckers.   You must choose a non-lethal method.  Luckily there are many non-lethal woodpecker deterrents available on the market. Some of these include visual repellents, loud noises, and exclusion.  It is very important to take immediate action to reduce the damage, as woodpeckers are not easily driven from their territories or pecking sites once they have become established. There is no "standard" approach to dealing with woodpecker damage. Evaluate each individual situation separately to determine the most effective woodpecker control measures. Often more than one technique (for example, using both visual and sound repellents) may provide the best control.

Bird Proofing for Woodpeckers

Image via Wikipedia

by Alex A. Kecskes

It's that time of year again.  When woodpeckers come a knocking and holes start appearing all around your home, patio, gazebo and even your wooden hot tub.

You can't really blame them. They have their reasons for turning your property into "Swiss cheese." One big reason: they're just looking for a meal. They also tap away during their mating season. Woodpeckers love to tap-tap endlessly on aluminum siding and fascia or trim boards on wood, stucco or brick. And this includes metal gutters, downspouts, chimney tops and roof vents. Time to woodpecker proof your property.

Woodpecker roosting or nesting holes are often found in structures near wooded areas, in clapboard, board-and batten or tongue-and-groove siding made of redwood or cedar. Regrettably, woodpeckers prefer to drill holes in the seams of siding, since there's very little resistance at that juncture. It doesn't matter if the seams are vertical or horizontal, the holes will usually be quite large--baseball size on average. These holes are most often created in the late summer and fall as the birds prepare for winter. Nesting holes, on the other hand, are usually drilled out at the start of the breeding season--between late April and May.