Throughout the year, the tapping of woodpeckers is a common sound in woodlots, forest preserves and residential areas. Pecking at bark and dead limbs, these specialized feeders search for beetles and other insects, playing a major role in the protection of our woodlands.
Come March, the intensity of their drumming begins to peak as their mating season draws near. Using hollow limbs, wood siding or even metal downspouts, the males rely on percussion to attract females and to claim their territory. Some species, including flickers and red-bellied woodpeckers, combine this drumming with loud, vibrant calls, making them especially conspicuous throughout the early weeks of spring. For birders, March is the ideal month for woodpecker watching; their noisy behavior reveals their presence and the barren trees yield unobstructed viewing.
Midwestern suburbanites are most likely to see northern flickers and both downy and red-bellied woodpeckers in their yards. While hairy woodpeckers can be regular visitors to suet blocks, they tend to prefer more extensive woodlands. Red-headed woodpeckers are best found near lakes and major rivers, where they nest in colonies, usually in stands of drowned cottonwoods. Pileated woodpeckers, our largest North American species (unless the ivory-bill is still around) tend to inhabit forested areas but occasionally wander through the open woods of suburban parks. Finally, yellow-bellied sapsuckers, not yet moving on to more northern breeding grounds, are fairly common in a variety of habitats.
