Woodpeckers are a pain in the ass when they peck on your house. They usually do so in order to claim a territory, much like other birds use song. It's very unlikely that the birds are pecking at your house to get bugs.
The best way to get rid of woodpeckers on the house is to drape netting over the areas they are pecking. It takes work, but it's the only thing that will keep them away. You could also spread very hot sauce or bird jel on the areas they are pecking.
Deterrent devices like flashers, streamers, etc. might work, but probably not.
You could also attempt to kill the woodpecker. This is illegal, but some people resort to this if they can't keep the bird from pecking holes all through the house. This is hard though. You've either got to be a very cunning and patient firearms marksman if you want
to shoot it. Otherwise, you can actually mount a mouse trap inside a birdhouse, and wait for the woodpecker to go inside and get snapped and killed.
Woodpeckers are part of a family of birds called the Picidea which also includes the toucans. This family of birds makes up a part of the near-passerine family of birds which is a name given to the groups of birds that are found living in trees. These birds can be found worldwide except in New Zealand, Madagascar and Australia. A few of the birds from the near-passerine family can be found living in treeless areas such as desserts and rocky hill sides. DNA testing has confirmed that the woodpecker is closely related to other birds like the puff birds.
There are a large number of species of the woodpecker but two species are already extinct and have been considered extinct for about thirty years. The two extinct species of these birds are the imperial and the ivory-billed woodpeckers. Recently, there has been some debate regarding whether these birds are really extinct or if they are still around. There are many more species of these birds that are either extinct or nearly extinct due to the loss or breaking up of their natural habitat.
A woodpecker is known to have stiff tails which are crucial for them to be able to support themselves on the trees while resting and foraging. These birds mostly eat insects and grubs that they find in dead or live trees. Although these are what they mainly eat they are known for their flexibility with their diet. They will also eat a variety of anthropoids and fruits that can be found on the live trees. In order to catch the grubs and insects found in the trunks of dead or alive trees they use their beaks to drill quite large holes into the trunks of the trees. Evidence of a woodpecker living nearby will be known by the large amount of wood chips located at the base of the tree and holes in the trunks of the tree. You will also know a woodpecker is around by the sound they make when they are drilling the trunks of trees.
Among the varying species of the woodpecker you will find some that are extremely anti-social, who will fight with those of their own kind. There are also some species that are quite social and will often be found in communal breeding groups or large feeding groups. They have also been known to join a variety of mixed species feeding groups that include several different varieties of birds. When they are found in these groups they tend to stay near the outer edges. They do this because it allows them to easily decrease their chance of getting caught by predators and significantly increase their rate of consumption.
The woodpecker spends its nights roosting inside holes in trees which will almost always become the location of their nesting site during the breeding season. Generally, their nest is only lined with the woodchips that were created during the time of constructing the hole, or cavity, in the tree for the nest. Usually a woodpecker will build a new nesting site every year. It usually takes a month for the wood pecker to finish their nesting site. This is because if the hole is not constructed to their liking they will start over somewhere new. The abandoned holes will then be used by other animals.
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A complete list of my bird control pages:
Bird Control
How to Keep Pigeons Away from a Building
Bird Photographs
How to Get Rid of Pigeons
How to Keep Pigeons Away From Balcony, Pool, Building
How to Kill Pigeons
Canada Goose Removal - How To Get Rid, How to Keep Away
Woodpecker Removal - How To Get Rid, How to Keep Away
Starling Removal - How To Get Rid, How to Keep Away
Muscovy Duck Removal - How To Get Rid, How to Keep Away
