How to Get Rid of Woodpeckers
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Few things interrupt the beauty of a warm spring morning like the sound of a woodpecker drilling into your home. Woodpeckers can do thousands of dollars of damage if they make nests in the exterior of your home. We’ll show you how to safely get rid of birds, specifically woodpeckers, and keep them away from your property without harming them.
Check out this “Ask This Old House” video to explore woodpecker damage, repair, and prevention:
Signs of Woodpecker Damage
Woodpeckers perform their characteristic pecking behavior to get food, create shelter, or communicate with other birds. Their hard, sharp beaks can drill into wood in order to retrieve any juicy insects inside or bore holes for their nests. They also drum their beaks against hard surfaces to communicate with each other, mostly to mark territory or court their mates.
Of course, this fascinating behavior also makes them pests. Repeated drumming from a woodpecker’s bill can damage a variety of surfaces. They can drill holes in trees, wooden structures, and even stucco siding.
Characteristic woodpecker damage often looks like a series of small, deep holes in a horizontal or vertical line. Alternatively, there may be larger nesting holes. You’ll usually know the damage comes from woodpeckers rather than insects based on the accompanying noise and the regularity of the holes.
Although woodpeckers won’t find food or shelter in structures like metal chimneys or gutters, they may find that drumming on these produces a much louder sound—the better to claim their territory with. This probably won’t do much overall damage to your home, but it’ll give you a headache in short order. In general, how animals get into your home is an issue that’s worth solving.
Quick Tip
- As with all bird pests, you don’t want to kill woodpeckers. They’re important parts of the ecosystem, and they’re beautiful and interesting birds. Additionally, in the United States, they’re protected by the Migratory Bird Act of 1918 (even though they don’t migrate). Instead of eliminating them, you want to direct their focus away from your home and landscaping.
Three Ways to Get Rid of Woodpeckers
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