That famous drumming on tree trunks is a woodpecker hunting for food. Insects hidden in wood are their speciality, but their diet is more varied than you might think.
What woodpeckers eat
Woodpeckers mainly eat insects and their larvae — beetles, ants, grubs and caterpillars — which they dig out of bark and wood with their strong beaks and long, sticky tongues. They round out their diet with nuts, seeds, berries and fruit, and some, like sapsuckers, drill neat rows of holes to drink tree sap.
Woodpeckers at the feeder
Woodpeckers are welcome feeder visitors, and their number-one favourite is suet — a block of fat that gives them the energy they need, especially in winter. They also take peanuts, sunflower seeds and peanut butter, clinging on with their strong feet and stiff tails for support.
How to attract woodpeckers
Put up a suet feeder — ideally one with a tail prop — and offer peanuts and sunflower seed. Leaving a dead tree or branch (a snag) standing, where it is safe to do so, gives woodpeckers a natural place to forage and nest, and makes your yard far more appealing to them.