See More Downy Woodpeckers In Your Garden
The downy woodpecker is the smallest and yet it is the most common woodpecker in the United States. Birders can enjoy these birds in backyards throughout North America. In order to attract the downy woodpecker to your home, consider the investment in a quality sunflower feeder. They will continuously come to visit you if you provide these birds with a regular supply of their favorite foods.
Choosing the Right Sunflower Feeder
A wide range of sunflower feeder products are on the market that can work well, but there are a few things to remember before you buy these, in particular for the downy woodpecker.
- This particular woodpecker will dine mostly on insects or black oil sunflower seeds from feeders, but it will do well with suet bird food, too. You can position both in your garden. It is recommended that you have both for optimal attraction!
- Keep in mind that the downy woodpecker loves to eat insects. Purchase a bird feeder you can mount near wooded areas so that they have a regular supply of the food they love.
- When these birds create a nest, the male will usually try to create a cavity in dead wood, or dead portions of living trees. If you have an old woodpile, place your bird feeder in this area. These birds have four to five white eggs per clutch.
- The Downy Woodpecker must be close to to its food source and usually that means in a wooded area. Choose a sunflower feeder that hangs from a tree branch or set up a pole nestled into the wooded area for the best results.
Choose a sunflower feeder that offers a number of places for the downy woodpecker to grab on to. These birds are able to hang upside down and they will enjoy a bird feeder that gives them plenty of space to do this. In addition to other bird foods, one must definitely include suet in the woodpecker diet. You should therefore, invest in a sunflower feeder system with a suet cage positioned below the sunflower tube. This will help you to attract the birds on a regular basis.
It is important to note the Downy Woodpecker likes to eat insects. Avoid using chemicals on grasses and in wooded areas that would decrease the availability of insects as this will hold back these woodpeckers from calling your area home. The sunflower feeder will lure these birds to your garden, but the woodpeckers will diversify their food source.