The Downy Woodpecker, the smallest member of the North American woodpecker family, exhibits a flexible and varied diet that allows it to thrive across a wide range of habitats. Measuring only about six inches in length, this small bird adapts its foraging strategies and food choices throughout the year to ensure a consistent intake of energy and nutrients. Its dietary flexibility is why it remains one of the most common and widely distributed woodpeckers across the continent. The diet primarily focuses on insects, supplemented by plant matter and human-provided foods.
The Main Course: Insects and Invertebrates
Insects and other invertebrates form the foundational backbone of the Downy Woodpecker’s diet, making up more than 75 percent of its wild food intake. The bird’s small stature enables it to forage on smaller branches, twigs, and even weed stalks that larger woodpeckers cannot access. They frequently target the larvae of wood-boring beetles, which they excavate from under the bark of trees using their sharp bill and specialized tongue.
Their menu includes a variety of other invertebrates such as ants, spiders, and caterpillars, which they glean directly from the surface of bark and foliage. During the winter, when surface insects are scarce, Downy Woodpeckers intensify excavation efforts to locate hibernating larvae and eggs. They also seek out larvae hidden inside plant growths, such as the fly grubs found within goldenrod galls, providing a high-protein food source during the coldest months.
This insect-heavy diet is important during the breeding season, providing the concentrated protein necessary for parents to feed their young. Their foraging habits act as a natural pest control, reducing populations of insects like the codling moth and bark beetles. The ability to switch between actively drilling and simply probing crevices allows them to maximize their intake in varying conditions.
Plant-Based Supplements: Seeds, Berries, and Sap
Plant matter constitutes a significant portion of the Downy Woodpecker’s overall diet, often accounting for 18 to 25 percent of its food intake. These plant-based supplements become important during the colder months when insect activity slows significantly. They provide necessary carbohydrates and fats, helping the birds maintain energy reserves through the winter.
The woodpeckers consume a range of wild fruits and berries, including the energy-rich berries of sumac, flowering dogwood, and poison ivy. They also extract and eat the seeds found in various tree and weed pods, such as those from the trumpet vine. Acorns and grains are readily accepted when available in their foraging areas.
Downy Woodpeckers also exhibit a behavior known as “sapping,” drinking tree sap that has oozed from wounds or been released by other birds, such as Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers. This sugary liquid offers an easily accessible source of quick energy. These varied plant foods ensure the Downy Woodpecker can adapt to seasonal changes and fluctuating insect populations.
Attracting Them: Preferred Feeder Foods
The Downy Woodpecker is a frequent visitor to backyard feeding stations, readily accepting human-provided foods that mimic the high-fat and high-energy content of their natural diet. Suet is the most attractive food offered at feeders because its high-fat composition provides a dense energy source, mirroring the nutritional value of insect larvae. Suet cakes are best presented in specialized wire cages, which allow the birds to cling vertically while feeding, mimicking their natural foraging posture on tree trunks.
Downy Woodpeckers are highly receptive to black oil sunflower seeds and shelled peanuts. The high oil content in both of these items makes them an appealing source of fat and protein. These birds often prefer to take seeds from platform feeders or hopper feeders rather than tube feeders.
To support their natural climbing behavior, some feeders incorporate a tail prop. Offering high-fat items like suet can improve the nutritional condition and winter survival rates for these small woodpeckers. Peanut butter, smeared onto tree bark or offered in specialized log feeders, is another high-calorie option they readily accept.