Woodpecker activity on trees can be a cause for concern for many property owners, as the resulting damage can range from minor cosmetic issues to creating vulnerabilities for disease and insects. The key to successful, humane control is first understanding the specific behavior driving the bird’s pecking, as the solution for a territorial display is different from a search for food. By correctly identifying the motivation, you can implement targeted and effective deterrents to protect your trees without harming the protected bird.
Identifying the Woodpecker’s Motive
Woodpeckers engage in tree-pecking behavior for three main reasons: foraging, drumming, and nesting, each leaving a distinct pattern of damage. Foraging for food, such as wood-boring insects or larvae, is characterized by numerous small, irregular, or scattered holes. This damage often occurs on trees that are already infested or in decline, as the bird excavates a meal from beneath the bark’s surface.
Drumming is the bird’s method of territorial communication and mate attraction, typically occurring most frequently in late winter and early spring. Drumming often targets highly resonant, non-wood surfaces like gutters, metal chimneys, or hollow tree branches to amplify the sound. The resulting damage is usually superficial, consisting of repeated, rhythmic tapping marks. The third motivation is nesting or roosting, where the bird excavates a single, large, and smoothly rounded hole, usually in softer, dead, or decaying sections of the tree.
Immediate Physical Protection Methods
When a woodpecker is actively damaging a tree, the most reliable immediate intervention is to install a physical barrier that prevents the bird from making contact with the bark. Bird netting is an effective exclusion method that should be hung loosely around the affected trunk or branch. Secure the netting at the top and bottom, keeping it several inches away from the tree surface to prevent the bird from pecking through the mesh.
Physical barriers include heavy materials like burlap wraps or quarter-inch hardware cloth, which can be secured around the trunk of high-value ornamental trees to protect injured areas. These wraps prevent the bird from gaining a foothold or a clear line of sight to the wood, discouraging further excavation. While effective, these barriers should be monitored to ensure they do not girdle the tree or harbor moisture that promotes disease. Promptly covering or filling existing holes with a wood patch material after the bird has been deterred can also prevent them from returning to the same site.
Visual and Auditory Scare Tactics
Methods that rely on sensory input are best used as a complementary strategy or specifically to deter territorial drumming, which is a communication behavior rather than a search for food. Highly reflective materials, such as Mylar tape, reflective streamers, or old compact discs, create sudden, flashing light that disorients and startles the birds. These items should be hung near the area of activity to flutter in the wind, maximizing their effect.
For auditory deterrence, using motion-activated sound devices that broadcast predator calls or woodpecker distress sounds can be temporarily effective at breaking the bird’s established routine. However, woodpeckers can quickly become accustomed to repetitive noise or stationary visual threats like plastic owl decoys. To maintain effectiveness, it is necessary to move and rotate both visual and auditory deterrents frequently, preventing the bird from habituating to the perceived threat.
Addressing Underlying Tree Health
The most successful long-term strategy for ending foraging behavior involves addressing the underlying insect infestation. Woodpeckers are excellent indicators of an underlying problem, as their search for larvae is highly focused on stressed or infested trees. Consulting a certified arborist to inspect the tree for wood-boring insects, such as beetles or carpenter ants, is a proactive step.
If an infestation is confirmed, an arborist can recommend an appropriate treatment, which may involve the selective application of insecticides to eliminate the food source that is attracting the birds. All woodpeckers are protected under the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA). This protection means that lethal removal, trapping, or destroying a nest is illegal without a specific federal depredation permit, reinforcing the need to rely on humane exclusion, deterrence, and habitat modification methods.