Common Woodpeckers of the Northeast (and How to Attract Them)
Woodpeckers are some of the most interesting birds in the Northeast. They hammer away at trees, search for insects, and even visit backyard feeders. While some stick around all year, others migrate. Many prefer dense forests, but a few may visit parks, orchards, and even suburban yards.
If you want to attract them, you’ll need the right trees, food, and habitat. Some love suet, while others go for nuts, fruit, or even sap. Dead trees and logs are a big draw since they hold insects and make perfect nesting spots.
Here’s a look at the most common woodpeckers, in order, in the region,/i where you can find them, and how to bring them to your yard.
Downy Woodpecker
This is the smallest and most common woodpecker in the Northeast. It has black-and-white feathers with a small red patch on the male’s head. It lives in forests, parks, and backyards and often visits feeders.
Attract these woodpeckers with suet, peanuts, and black oil sunflower seeds. Nesting boxes with wood shavings can attract a breeding pair. Leaving dead branches up helps, too.
Hairy Woodpecker
Nearly identical to the Downy but larger with a longer bill. It prefers mature forests but will also visit parks and yards with plenty of trees. It is more skittish than the Downy and doesn’t visit feeders as often.
Suet and peanut feeders may work to attract them to your yard, but they prefer natural food sources like beetles in tree bark. Keeping mature trees and deadwood in your yard helps.
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Despite its name, its belly isn’t very red. Instead, it has a bold red cap and black-and-white striped back. It’s much larger than the downy and the hairy, usually 9-10½ inches long. It is common in forests, woodlots, and suburban areas. It is loud and easy to hear before you see it.
These woodpeckers eat insects, nuts, and fruit. Suet, peanuts, and chopped apples will bring them in. Plant oak trees for acorns and leave standing dead trees for nesting.
Northern Flicker
This large woodpecker is unique because it spends more time on the ground than in trees. It has a brown body with black spots and a yellow flash under its wings. Flickers live in open woodlands, fields, and parks. This Flicker was formerly known as the Yellow-shafted Flicker.
Unlike other woodpeckers, flickers eat ants and beetles. To attract them, provide a mix of suet, peanut butter, and mealworms. Open, grassy areas are essential for foraging. Nesting boxes may also attract them.
Red-shafted Flicker
Though more common in the western U.S., Red-shafted Flickers sometimes appear in the Northeast, especially in winter. Hybrid flickers—showing a mix of red and yellow wing colors—are also found where the two subspecies overlap.
These birds prefer open woodlands, forest edges, fields, and even urban areas. Instead of the yellow wing and tail feathers seen in its eastern cousin, this bird has a striking red-orange hue under its wings and tail. Males have a red mustache stripe, while females lack this marking. Like other flickers, it has a brown body with black spots, a barred back, and a black crescent on its chest.
Offering suet, peanut butter, and mealworms can help draw them into your property. Open, grassy areas are key for foraging, while nesting boxes placed near trees may encourage them to stay. Keeping dead trees or branches in the yard also provides natural nesting and feeding sites.
Pileated Woodpecker
The largest woodpecker in the Northeast, it has a striking red crest and a loud call. It prefers dense forests with tall, old trees and is often seen hammering out large holes in tree trunks. Their main food source is carpenter ants found in dead trees. This woodpecker was depicted in cartoons as “Woody the Woodpecker.”
They will occasionally feed at suet feeders and may also be attracted to crabapples, peanuts, mealworms and other fruit.
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
This migratory woodpecker drills small holes in trees to drink sap and any trapped insects. It has black-and-white feathers with a red forehead and throat (on males). It is found in forests, orchards, and parks. They drill neat rows of holes in young birch and maple trees.
They rarely visit feeders but can be found occasionally on suet feeders or mealworm feeders. The best way to attract them is by keeping dead trees standing and maintaining natural forested areas.
Black-backed Woodpecker
This rare woodpecker is mainly found in northern New England and the Adirondacks. It has a black back and a yellow patch on the male’s head. It prefers recently burned forests where it feeds on insects in charred trees.
It is challenging to attract them to your property. If you have recently burned areas, they may be abundant in the north country.
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