Woodpeckers

 

Diet: Large amounts of insects.

Woodpecker 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.  (See below for information on non-lethal woodpecker control).

 

Woodpeckers are a Federally Protected Bird

To visit the Law Click Laws

Stopping Woodpeckers from damaging your homeDowny woodpecker

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

Woodpeckers peck at houses for basically three possible reasons, 

  •     searching for bugs (rare) but consider it if occurring during the winter (Dr. Doug Mampe Pest Control Mag. Feb/02. p.14.), 
  •     building a home (rare) but if it happens it will also be in the spring or 
  •     marking territory (common a phenomenon called drumming (During month of March/April/May).

Surfaces Known to have been pecked by Woodpeckers (we welcome additions just e-mail them to us at info@aallanimalcontrol.com

  • 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

When Woodpeckers peck at shiny objects: "I have a woodpecker problem that I haven't seen addressed on your site. We have one that appears only in the morning, approx. 6:20, and he's pecking on the metal flange on the top of the fireplace and another metal pipe on the roof. The literature that I've read says that they don't like shiny objects, but that's exactly where he's pecking!!"

ANSWER: He is probably drumming (he likes the sound) or he sees his reflection. Just because it is metal doesn't mean it is shiny enough. The shiny I am talking about is mirror shiny. If he still pecks at it, then it is possibly due to his seeing a reflection of himself and thinking it is another bird. The least expensive option is probably the mylar tape. I would try that first.

Don't Give Up Hope:

In one study the birds stopped drumming 50 percent of the time within two weeks or so whether the homeowners did anything or not.

Non-lethal strategies to control Woodpecker damage    

Unfortunately, there is no easy guaranteed solution. So with all that being said, I would suggest the following strategies:

First. Cover all holes as soon as possible. I recommend placing aluminum flashing over the areas where the woodpecker is pecking. The flashing will stop the pecking at that spot because 1. its metal and 2. it changes the sound and 3. woodpeckers don't like shiny objects. Just make sure that the woodpecker is not living in your home. Disturbing a woodpecker den or killing one is a federal offense.

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 also try running some mylar tape (1 inch wide strips) around the area where he is pecking. Woodpeckers don't like shiny objects. If you don't have mylar, use tin foil or small mirrors. ORDER ON-LINE
  • Distress Tapes. There are machines that digitally recreate woodpecker distress calls. These are NOT Ultrasound. When you turn on the device, it spooks the woodpecker. Click to visit our sonic devices
  • Scary Eye balloons. These balloons mimic the look of an owl which spooks the woodpeckers. Click Balloons
  • sprinkler woodpecker controlGarden 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 Scarecrow (see image at the right). To learn more about it click: automatic sprinkler
  • Attack Spider: This is a relatively new (2003). It activates using a sound detector to scare woodpeckers through sight and motion.

DON'T USE

  • Owl Effigies: unless you are willing to move it around on a daily basis. Understand that at best the effigy will work only in the short term if at all.

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. 

For netting click birdx/BX-birdnet.php

I would also encourage you not to dally. You want to act quickly before the woodpecker decides your home is a nice place to live.

Lethal Woodpecker Damage Control Strategies  (Federal permit needed)

  • Shooting. Make sure you follow all relevant Federal, State and local gun use laws.
  • Trapping. Probably the most effective and safe.

 

Off-Line Ordering Information

While we encourage the use of our secure on-line ordering system. Click Secure. We understand how some of our customers have concerns with on-line credit card purchases prefer to pay with money orders etc. For those of you who wish not to use on-line ordering please follow the instructions below.

To determine the total cost of the purchase please follow these steps.

1. Click the purchase online link of the product you wish to purchase. (Don't worry you will cancel before the transaction is complete).

2. You will be taken to the Miva Secure Server. Put the number of the items you want in the Quantity form. Then Click Add to Basket. The page will reappear. Then click in the upper right hand corner "Checkout"

3. You will be asked if you want to create an account. Simply click "Place Order Without Account". Then type in whatever you want for your name, street address, phone number and e-mail. Just be sure that with your fake e-mail you set it up as fake@nothing.com. The computer doesn't know if it is a real address or not. But it does recognize if it isn't set up properly.

4. Type in the correct City and State and Zip Code. This information is used by the computer to determine shipping costs.

5. Click "Continue". When you submit the information, (most of which is fake) you will be forwarded to a page that gives you options for shipping. In the shipping section, click the arrow. A form will come up that will list the prices of the various ways you can have the product shipped to you.

6. Click "Continue" and you will be forwarded to a page that will total the cost of the product and shipping. At this point, simply leave the site or turn off your browser. Note you have not put in your credit card number or even your full address. You can now send a money order to our address below. Or if you wanted to fax or call in your order, you will know what the total cost of the item(s) will be.

 

 

 

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.

 

 

4/3/04