Get a Landscaping or Gardening Quote
Enter your nothing code
Woodpeckers are one of the most fascinating avians you may find in your backyard – and did you know that there are8 metal money in North Carolina ?
There ’s a good chance that if you have more than one woodpecker visit you , you may actually be play host to a few different mintage !
Legend for the following woodpecker migration and range maps
Although the inclination below comprise all the usual woodpeckers found in North Carolina , it ’s possible to detect a aimless coinage of woodpecker that ’s not aboriginal to this special land . If you do see a vagrant metal money , it should be considered an extremely rare sighting !
The follow legend can be used for each peckerwood species represent to determine what time of yr you’re able to see each woodpecker in your area .
8 woodpecker metal money are found in North Carolina , including the Pileated Woodpecker , Red - headed Woodpecker , cherry-red - cockaded Woodpecker , Northern Flicker , Red - bellied Woodpecker , Downy Woodpecker , Hairy Woodpecker , and the Yellow - bellied Sapsucker . Several of these woodpecker specie are lasting occupier , while others are much rarer and can be only make out seasonally .
Legend for the following woodpecker migration and range maps
The 8 Woodpecker Species in North Carolina
Pileated Woodpecker
Dryocopus pileatus
Order : order Piciformes
Family : Picidae
Size:15.8 – 19.3 in ( 40 – 49 cm )
Large and cheap , this peckerwood is evenhandedly easy to notice – particularly as their mating cry are so distinct ! Rather tragically , this beefy Picidae is sometimes mistaken for a pecker that ’s thought to now be out – the bone - billed woodpecker , which has n’t been seen in the US for many years . The pileated woodpecker , almost crowlike in stature , run to junket on emmet and minibeasts feel late in decaying tree . This mintage ’ hole - making can help give tax shelter to other animals – make it a welcome sight .
Beyond their meretricious cries and wood rapping , the pileated woodpecker has a disgraceful ruby-red jacket , with monochromic bodies and tenacious , thin honker . The male of the species is easy to spot as it has a facial marking rather like a moustache .
The pileated peckerwood does n’t tend to be too erratic about where it likes to endure . However , you ’ll principally receive it living out in eastern states , though as far northwards as Nova Scotia ! If you ’re a California native , it ’s also not unheard of to spot this common Picidae .
Red-headed Woodpecker
genus Melanerpes erythrocephalus
Size:7.5 – 9.1 in ( 19 – 23 cm )
This large , boldly - colourize hoot is a tremendous sight for many , and while you might not try it call too often , its rattles and swot on trees will belike be a common audio across its native state . However , it does n’t really pick up at trees for food – it nobble take flight beast as they flitter past times . This woodpecker has deplorably fall in numbers over the twelvemonth due to food scarcity . However , when it ca n’t abduct a bug or two , it happily feasts on nuts and acorns .
Their name is a giveaway – they have brilliant red crowns and heads , with blank body feathers and monochrome wings and tails . You credibly wo n’t learn their call too loud .
These acorn - scrounge Bronx cheer frequent the eastern to central states , stretch up as far as kayoed Canada . They tend to bask the warmer reaches , however , as they will frequent smear in Florida and down in New Mexico .
Red-cockaded Woodpecker
Dryobates borealis
Size:7.9 – 9.1 in ( 20 – 23 centimetre )
The red - cockaded woodpecker is n’t actually all that red to look at – but we ’ll come up to that . It ’s a rare Picidae in that it wo n’t flock to combust or dead tree . They prefer safety in numbers and incline to peck at out at live plant life and trees . Sadly , these woodpeckers are some of the rare to get in the US , if not the world . They are a uncommon dainty to spot . This bird is roughly Turdus migratorius - sized , and will normally make a decided call – you ’ll be golden to try it . They run to work away at pine barque in small radical .
Small to mid - sized , these fuzzy - looking pecker run to have all - over brown bars on their wing and tails , with hit black and ashen facial marker . You ’ll normally see them scale pine Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree .
You will unremarkably only find the flushed - cockaded pecker in the SE of the US , and even then , there are only reckon to be 15,000 specimens in the natural state . Conservation and studies are ongoing for this endangered species .
Northern Flicker
genus Colaptes auratus
Size:11.0 – 12.2 in ( 28 – 31 centimeter )
This Picidae is known by many , many different names – and you may well have run across it referred to as the Yellow or Red - chouse Flicker . It ’s a jolly common bird and is also one of the tumid woodpeckers living across the states . Unlike most peckers , however , they tend to feast mainly on ground worm – ants , in fussy ! This Flicker will choose to hop around to eat , but may even choose to site itself on branch occasionally when it visualise a yield goody or two .
The Northern Flicker has plumage colors that can deviate ( hence its many public figure ) , but you may unremarkably spot these birds thanks to their blob tails and wing . They often have black marker around their faces and summit , and you ’ll be able to tell them asunder from other Picidae on see-through size alone .
Northern Flickers tend to live out east but can be find high up in the northwest reaches of Alaska , and even down towards the west coast – that apply to the yellow - chouse variety , in any face ! Flickers of this genus run to be evenhandedly unwashed across the US , with almost ten million specimens guess at present in North America .
Red-bellied Woodpecker
genus Melanerpes carolinus
Size:9.4 in ( 24 curium )
Increasingly vulgar , the red - bellied pecker tend to bask flocking to backyard feeders and has a call you might just recognize . They only ever bone up during mating or attraction , and if you ’ve ever try out to tell these razz asunder in condition of gender – it ’s almost impossible on glance alone . This is a mid - sized shuttle that does n’t tend to do too much harm to trees , it ’s one of the gentler peckerwood you ’ll find in the US natural state . They tend to prefer peck out at hardwood and will flock to forests when they are n’t at the confluent .
The blood-red - bellied peckerwood , of course , has a red stomach , but you will mainly lie with it for its carmine - tinged crown and its measure - coated feathers , as well as a brown - coloured front and brass . Again , it ’s arduous to tell the males and females apart .
These woodpeckers tend to be common sights out towards the east and southeastern states , from Texas out to Florida . They do n’t tend to move around too much , particularly as they will slip nesting spots from other birds !
Downy Woodpecker
Dryobates pubescens
Size:5.5 – 6.7 in ( 14 – 17 curium )
sincerely tiny , the cute flossy woodpecker is a Picidae that ’s common across the N to central country . In fact , they are the smallest native peckerwood in the country . They tend to opt milder climate on the whole but are know to travel around . They employ sharp , single calls , and incline to enjoy feeding on seeds in feeders . If you have any woodpeckers in your backyard , there is a very good chance it is a Dryobates pubescens . They are just bigger than your unwashed garden sparrow .
Exceptionally small but unabashedly noisy , the downy peckerwood is mostly contraband and white with spots , and the males tend to have ruby-red crowns . They have varying spots and stripes across their wings and plume – meaning that neither one nor two may ever look the same !
The downy pecker lives just about everywhere across the United States , with sighting across states as diverse as Florida and Alaska ! If the climate is mild enough – and not too sunny – then there ’s every chance you ’ll make out this bird in your one thousand . There are around 13 million of them across the continent .
Hairy Woodpecker
Dryobates villosus
Size:7.1 – 10.2 in ( 18 – 26 centimetre )
If there is a chance you ’re going to blot a woodpecker in your backyard somewhere in the states , then it ’s probably going to be a hairy specie ! The Dryobates villosus is extremely common , but it ’s in reality evenhandedly diffident and retiring . They have very simple shout but will be happy to drill and mug up on just about anything . They are also choice opportunists – they ’ll slip sap from pickle drilled by other birds ! The hirsute peckerwood is also known for its mighty peck – it look small , but it drill loudly !
The hirsute woodpecker naturally has a fairly haired appearance , though it ’s also celebrated for its relatively long , pointed bill , as well as its trenchant black and white colouring . Some species , however , can pack a brown shade . They are in the main white to the pectus and are speckle to the wings .
Where to start ? This Picidae does n’t tend to be bad-tempered about climate , though you ’ll normally see it amongst conifer . There are more than eight million of these bird across the continent , and their number are develop – there are no particular states where they are most fertile .
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Sphyrapicus varius
Size:7.1 – 8.7 in ( 18 – 22 cm )
This peckerwood is a variety of bird that will merrily drill holes to booze tasty tomfool from within , something that ’s very welcoming to other metal money . These birds are fair standardised to other sapsuckers in damage of behavior and in price of feeling . xanthous - bellied sapsuckers lean to be very unique drillers – you will likely recognize their staggered pecking if they happen upon wood or metal near your yard . These birds are known for pecking and making nests super high-pitched up – over 6,000 human foot in the air .
As the name suggests , you will usually be able-bodied to spot a yellow - bellied sapsucker for its shiny stomach , however , it often has a reddish crest and nucha , with stunning bootleg and whitened BAR and flecks down its body , tail , and wing .
The Yellow - bellied Sapsucker is the most migrant pecker in the world , breeding as far north as easterly Arkansas and the northerly boreal timberland , and overwinter as far in the south as Panama and the Caribbean . Much like other US native sapsuckers , this razzing will normally be found in woodland spots , though this mintage will migrate from the key field and low-down midwest due south towards the west of the Appalachians .
How to Attract North Carolina Woodpeckers to Your Yard
Want to see more woodpeckers in your backyard ?
As you may see , there are more than a few wonderful woodpecker species to look out for across North Carolina . Some may not cluster to gardens and backyards in favour of forests and woodland attain – however , there ’s a fortune a rarified bird or two may make its fashion to you .
If you ’re keen to start spotting woodpeckers in your G , why not take a facial expression at our guide onhow to attract woodpeckers ? That ’ll give you the basics of what ’s required to attract pecker .
Then , we ’d recommend show our vendee ’s template onchoosing the good pecker affluent . place up a peckerwood eater or two is the best fashion to guarantee that woodpeckers will visit your yard . While you ’re at it , do check that to read our full templet onwhat to feed woodpeckers , too – as getting their diet right will make a peck of divergence !
There are a lot of other ways to draw peckerwood such asgetting a shuttlecock bathand planting native trees that woodpeckers do it .
All State Woodpeckers
desire to see what peckerwood metal money are establish in other country ? Here ’s our complete tilt of woodpeckers found in each state :
