Woodpeckers

Woodpeckers can cause a great deal of property damage and sleepless mornings. But there are ways to control them. This page will inform you about wildlife laws and how to resolve woodpecker damage within the law. We will also try to cut through the fog about effective methods to control woodpeckers.

Laws concerning woodpeckers

Woodpeckers are a federally protected bird under the North American Migratory Bird Act. Do not use lethal control on woodpeckers without contacting your Federal Wildlife Officer. You will need to institute non-lethal control strategies before you will receive permission to implement lethal control.

Stopping Woodpeckers from Damaging your Home

Downy Woodpeckers (Picoides pubescens), like the one pictured at the right, are a common cause of woodpecker damage to buildings. Just remember that it is illegal to harm them without a federal permit. You may also need state permits as well.

Why Woodpeckers peck your home

• Searching for bugs (rare) but consider it if occurring during the winter
• Building a home (rare) but if it happens it will likely be in the spring
• Marking territory (a phenomenon called drumming)

Surfaces known to have been pecked by Woodpeckers

• Aluminum flashing: particularly if there is a void behind it.
• Cedar siding
• Chimney Caps
• Fir siding (white fir)
• Pine Siding
• Redwood siding
• Roof vents
• Space Shuttle
• Stucco
• Synthetic Stucco Polymer Coatings (eg; Dryvitt and Stucco-Flex)
• Tile roof

Strategies to control Woodpecker Damage

Unfortunately, there is no easy guaranteed solution. So with that being said, We would suggest the following approaches:

First. Cover all holes as soon as possible. We recommend placing aluminum flashing over the areas where the woodpecker is pecking. The flashing will stop the pecking at that spot because the metal will change the sound and woodpeckers don't like shiny objects. Just make sure that the woodpecker is not living in your home first.

Second. Harass and scare the woodpecker causing damage using one or more of the following techniques.

Remember no harassment technique works all the time or in every situation.

• Mylar Tape. You can run some mylar tape (1 inch wide strips) around the area where thee bird is pecking. Woodpeckers don't like shiny objects. If you don't have mylar, use tin foil or small mirrors. Click to View & Order
• Sonic Devices. There are machines that digitally recreate woodpecker distress calls. When you activate the device, it spooks the woodpecker. Click to View & Order
• Scare Eye balloons. These balloons mimic the look of an owl which spooks the woodpeckers.Click to View & Order
• Garden Hose: One animal damage controller says "Pre position a garden hose with a sprinkler set up on an angle to reach where the bird is drumming. Turn on the hose and watch the woodpeckers leave. It only takes a few squirts. They leave quickly and don't like hanging on to a wet siding etc.. " There is an automatic sprinkler on the market called the Spray-Away (see image at the right). To learn more about it click: Spray-Away
• Attack Spider: This is a relatively new. It activates using a sound detector to scare woodpeckers through sight and motion.

Third. Employ exclusion techniques. If woodpeckers are damaging your siding under an eave, hang some netting from the eave line down to the ground. If the net is extended away from the house wall, the woodpecker can't get close enough to damage the wood. Some homes actually leave the hooks up year round and then hang the netting as needed. 

 

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4/3/04

Disclaimer: WDC seeks to provide accurate, effective and responsible information on resolving human/wildlife conflicts. We welcome suggestions, criticisms to help us achieve this goal. The information provided is for informational purposes only and users of the information use it at their own risk. The reader must consult state/federal officials to determine the legality of any technique in the reader's locale. Some techniques are dangerous to the user and to others. WDC encourages readers to obtain appropriate training (see our informational literature at our Store ), and understand that proper animal damage control involves patience, understanding that not every technique/method works for every situation or even 100% of the time. Your use of this information is governed by this understanding. We welcome potential users of the information and photos to simply ask for permission via e-mail. Finally, WDC welcomes e-mail but understand that all e-mails become property of Wildlife Damage Control.