By pecking a woodpecker can pierce through the bark of a tree to retrieve their food source.
Why do woodpeckers peck gutters.
To get an idea of why these feathered friends get their name we only have to look toward the most basic instinct of a woodpecker.
Woodpeckers excavate rotting wood to find food.
No the bird food is not causing them to.
The third reason why woodpeckers peck has to do with alerting other animals in the area to their presence.
Quoting from an article on woodpeckers from penn state extension.
Although a woodpecker s ability to peck into trees when in search of food is well known many species drill into wood where no insects exist.
Pecking is a natural behavior for this bird and their primary way of searching for food.
They eat the bugs inside.
There are other reasons why woodpeckerspeck on things.
The sound the woodpeckers are creating is used to mark territory and communicate with other birds of their species.
The male woodpecker will find the loudest thing to drum on to attract a mate.
While the woodpecker is damaging your siding it s not the woodpecker s fault.
So to answer your question.
Back in the pre cable sat tv days tv antenna towers used to be all the rage for woodpeckers looking for love where i lived.
As well as using the pecking motion as a means of finding vital food sources woodpeckers also peck at trees to create a nesting site.
If a woodpecker is slowly moving around your roof or siding and pecking in different locations over time then it is possible that the woodpecker is eating bugs from your siding.
This usually consists of insects and larvae.
In other words woodpeckers drumming accomplishes the same function as the songs or calls that other birds emit.
The yellow bellied sapsucker for example loves to peck holes in ornamental trees which can cause damage and open trees up for diseases and mold problems.
For predators a loud drumming sound is often enough to discourage them from targeting the woodpecker.
This behavior known as drumming is a rhythmic pecking sequence.
If you review our woodpecker control article you ll learn that woodpeckers will commonly use anything metal to sound.
Woodpeckers use the sound of their pecking to attract mates.
One of which is to defend its territory.
If you notice woodpecker damage to your trees and you are wondering how to deter woodpeckers from ruining your landscaping consider wrapping them in affordable burlap bags.
Then this one must have every female woodpecker in the immediate area panting for him.
The types of metal they love to use will include chimney caps metal siding and rain gutters.
However woodpeckers don t just peck on trees or wood just for a good meal.
The louder the sound the farther his range for attracting mates.
The sound can after all be heard from hundreds of yards away.