Woodpeckers are instantly recognizable by their distinct drumming behavior and upright stance on tree trunks. While most people associate them with a diet of insects and plant matter, the answer to whether they prey on other birds is yes. This predatory behavior is generally opportunistic and limited in scope, as these flexible omnivores take advantage of food sources, including the eggs and young of other avian species.
The Woodpecker Diet Foundation
The vast majority of a woodpecker’s diet centers on invertebrates, primarily insects and their larvae, which they excavate from wood. Wood-boring beetles, grubs, and ants form the staple food source for many species. For example, the Northern Flicker relies heavily on ants, which it forages for on the ground. This insectivorous base makes up the bulk of their nutritional intake, especially protein.
Woodpeckers supplement their diet with a variety of plant-based foods. They consume nuts, seeds, and fruits, often caching them in bark crevices for later use, a behavior notably exhibited by the Acorn Woodpecker. Certain species, known as sapsuckers, specialize in drilling small, orderly holes into trees to lap up the sugary sap that flows out, also consuming insects trapped in the sap.
Predation on Other Birds
Woodpeckers act as predators on other birds, focusing almost exclusively on eggs and nestlings, rather than adult birds. This opportunistic predation occurs when the vulnerable contents of a nest become accessible, providing a valuable source of protein and fat. The primary targets are cavity-nesting birds like chickadees, bluebirds, and various tits, whose nests are often found in tree hollows or nest boxes.
Species such as the Red-bellied, Red-headed, Gila, and Acorn Woodpeckers in North America, and the Great Spotted Woodpecker in Eurasia, frequently engage in this behavior. The woodpecker often uses its powerful bill to enlarge the entrance hole of a smaller bird’s cavity or nest box to gain access to the brood. Woodpeckers have been seen pecking through the skulls of nestlings to consume their brains, a nutrient-dense food source.
Predation events are sometimes so frequent that they account for a significant percentage of nest failures for smaller species in a given area. For instance, the Great Spotted Woodpecker has been responsible for nearly half of the predation events on tit nest boxes in some studies. This specialized ability to breach the defenses of cavity nests sets woodpeckers apart as a unique avian predator.
Specialized Tools for Foraging
The woodpecker’s ability to forage across such a diverse diet, including opportunistic predation, is enabled by unique anatomical adaptations. The most obvious tool is the robust, chisel-shaped bill, which functions like a sharp pick for excavating wood at high speeds. This powerful hammering action is possible due to a specialized skull structure featuring thick, spongy bone and strong neck muscles that absorb and redirect the force of impact, protecting the brain.
The skull’s structure was once thought to function purely as a shock absorber, but it actually works to redirect strain energy away from the head and into the body. Once the woodpecker breaches the wood, it deploys its remarkably long tongue, controlled by a unique hyoid apparatus. This bone and muscle structure allows the tongue to extend far past the tip of the beak, sometimes several inches, to probe deep into tunnels and crevices.
The tip of the tongue is often barbed and coated in sticky saliva, which helps it to spear and draw out insect larvae or extract nest contents like eggs and nestlings. The sheer length and probing capability of the tongue allows the woodpecker to access vulnerable food sources deep within cavities. In some species, the tongue wraps around the skull when retracted.