Woodpecker Houses

Woodpeckers prefer a nest box with a roughened interior and a floor covered with a two-inch layer of wood chips or coarse sawdust. For best results, place woodpecker houses high up on a tree trunk exposed to direct sunlight.

The Downy Woodpecker occurs over the greater part of the North American continent, from the Gulf States northwards. The Downy Woodpecker is at home in a variety of wooded areas across its range, in the northern mixed forests and in the deciduous forests farther south, in woodlots and parklands, in orchards, and even in the parks and avenues of suburb, town and city. It prefers places where broad-leaved trees, such as poplars, birches and ashes, let in the light among the evergreens. Forest edges and areas around openings in the denser forests are also favored places. In the western part of its range it can be found in alder and willow growth. Downy Woodpecker pairs often return to the same nesting area every year of their adult life.

Red-headed Woodpeckers range from southern Canada to the Gulf Coast, east of the Rocky Mountains and west of New England. They are birds of wooded savanna, open woodlands, riparian forests, orchards, suburbia and agricultural lands. Preferred habitat includes dead trees for use as nest sites, relatively open undergrowth, and access to the ground for foraging. In the East, old mature woodlots with some undergrowth as well as suburbs and agricultural areas are typical redhead habitats, whereas in the South, clearings with tall stumps are used. Although uncommon throughout much of their range, Red-headed Woodpeckers are most abundant in the open forests of the Midwest.

Northern Flickers are found throughout the North American continent from below the tree line in Alaska and Canada to Mexico, Central America and Cuba. Flickers live in a variety of woodland habitats. They have adapted well to human habitation and occur in urban, suburban, and rural areas, in parks and near farms and woodlots. They nest near clearings or other open areas, at forest edges, and in forests interspersed with meadows, fields, and clear-cuts. Nests are also found in savannas and near swamps, ponds, and recently flooded areas containing snags. The Gilded Flicker subspecies nests in saguaro cactus. The northern populations of flickers return to their breeding ground from mid-March to early April. By late April and early May, pairs have bonded and begun to breed. Flicker houses should be mounted 6 to 30 feet high with the entrance hole facing southeast. These houses should be packed tightly with sawdust for the birds to excavate.

	Northern Flicker House $40.95			Red-headed Woodpecker House $39.95

	Hairy Woodpecker House $39.95			Downy Woodpecker House $34.95

Coveside Bird House Features