Can a Woodpecker Damage a Healthy Tree?

Reasons Woodpeckers Drill Holes

• Woodpeckers are cavity nesters and often excavate holes in tree trunks, old wooden posts, utility poles, or even cedar siding to build nesting sites. Nesting activity usually occurs in late spring to early summer. Woodpeckers also tap trees or other objects in a process called “drumming.” During the mating season, drumming is used to establish territory or attract a mate. Woodpeckers also drill holes in tree trunks while foraging for food such as insects, larva and eggs. They tap the tree to find hollow areas, indicating the presence of insects beneath the bark and then chisel into the trunk in pursuit of a meal. Sapsuckers drill numerous holes in tree trunks to extract sap.

Woodpecker Damage

• Woodpecker damage ranges from small, shallow holes to large, deep nesting cavities. Woodpecker damage may indicate that a tree is infested with insects, or it may simply be the result of seasonal drumming behavior. Sapsuckers are particularly damaging to ornamental and fruit trees. They drill multiple rows of small holes about one-fourth inch wide around the tree’s trunk to drink the sap. Often, they continue enlarging these holes, drilling deeper into the inner bark for fresh sap. Numerous or deep woodpecker holes make trees more susceptible to insects and diseases and this could eventually lead to tree death.

Deterring Woodpeckers

• Although little can be done to repair woodpecker holes in trees, further damage may be prevented by wrapping the trunk with burlap or protective material during the spring and fall months when woodpeckers are most active. If the tree is small enough, it can be covered with protective bird netting to deter woodpeckers. Methods to scare the birds away include hanging long strips of aluminum foil, tin can lids, aluminum pie plates, windsocks or balloons from tree branches so they dangle over the damaged area. Sticky bird repellents smeared on the trunk and branches are often effective. However, experts at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology warn these sticky repellents can get on the bird’s feathers and impair their flight and ability to retain heat.

Protected Species

• Woodpeckers, sapsuckers and flickers are protected by the North American Migratory Bird Act. Killing or injuring these birds or harming an active nest is a violation of federal law. In rare cases, lethal control of woodpeckers can be used if a permit is obtained through the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service.