Woodpeckers
Damage to Homes
Q: A woodpecker has been making holes on my house. I don’t want
to harm the bird, but I’ve tried to get rid of it, with no success.
What should I do?
A: No matter how much people enjoy seeing woodpeckers at their
feeders or on the trees in their yard, we know from the many inquiries
receive that people do not like it when those same woodpeckers drum on
their homes!
To help find solutions, researchers at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology conducted a survey of woodpeckers and the damage they cause to homes. Their goal was to better understand the behavior, determine which types of home are at greatest risk, and suggest some safe deterrents. You can read all about the results of this study at our web site, “Woodpeckers: Damage, Prevention, and Control.”