Bird guide · Leuconotopicus villosus
Hairy Woodpecker
What the hairy woodpecker eats, where it lives, when it comes to feeders and how to recognise it – with sightings from every US state.
- Season
- Mostly year-round resident
- Size
- 8.7 in (22 cm)
- Eats
- suet
- Feeds
- suet cage
- Most common
- Minnesota, New Hampshire, Vermont
Food
What do hairy woodpeckers eat?
At feeders, hairy woodpeckers take suet.
Forages energetically, probing and excavating; visits feeders for suet.
Feeder that suits it
A suet cage on a tree trunk or pole; peanuts and sunflower hearts work too.
Range
Where do hairy woodpeckers live?
Across North America in larger trees; less common in suburbs than Downy. By share of all bird sightings, hairy woodpeckers are most common in Minnesota (1.7%).
States where hairy woodpeckers are most common
- Minnesota1.7%
- New Hampshire1.6%
- Vermont1.5%
- Wisconsin1.4%
- Maine1.2%
- Michigan1.0%
- Iowa1.0%
- Pennsylvania0.9%
- North Dakota0.9%
- Connecticut0.9%
Share of all bird sightings in each state that are hairy woodpeckers, 2019–2024.
Season
Does the hairy woodpecker migrate?
Mostly year-round resident. Across the US it is reported in every month; its share of bird sightings is highest in December.
Share of all bird sightings in the US that are hairy woodpeckers, by month.
Identification
How to identify the hairy woodpecker
Adults: Black and white with a white back patch, bill nearly as long as its head, clean white outer tail; male has a red crown patch.
Size: 8.7 in (22 cm)
Easily confused with
- Downy Woodpecker – smaller, very short bill, barred outer tail
On camera
Getting the hairy woodpecker on a feeder camera
Pick a camera feeder that takes a suet cage, or mount a separate camera next to a suet feeder on the trunk – woodpeckers cling to the bark while they feed.
Questions
Hairy Woodpecker: questions
What do hairy woodpeckers eat?
At feeders, suet.
Do hairy woodpeckers migrate?
Mostly year-round resident. Across the US it is reported in every month; its share of bird sightings is highest in December.
Where do hairy woodpeckers live?
By share of all bird sightings, they are most common in Minnesota, New Hampshire, Vermont, Wisconsin, Maine. They are rare or absent in Florida, Hawaii, Texas.