Downy Woodpecker

Downy Woodpeckers are the smallest woodpeckers in North America and frequent visitors to backyard feeders. They cling easily to feeders and tree trunks, feeding on sunflower seeds, suet, and other high-energy foods.

Downy Woodpeckers are suet addicts and the most common woodpecker at Canadian feeders. They also love peanuts, sunflower chips, and premium nut blends. Suet is their number one feeder food — they'll visit a suet cage multiple times per hour throughout the day. In summer, watch for parents bringing fledglings to the suet feeder for their first lessons in feeder dining.

A suet cage is the essential Downy Woodpecker feeder — hang one on a tree trunk or sturdy pole and they'll find it within days. They also visit tube feeders for sunflower chips and peanut feeders. Mount suet at mid-height on a tree with rough bark that gives them a natural grip. Tail-prop suet feeders (with a platform below) are especially effective for woodpeckers.

Dead trees are a Downy Woodpecker's most critical habitat need — they excavate nest cavities in soft dead wood and forage for insects in bark year-round. If a dead tree on your property isn't a safety hazard, leave it standing. Even a tall dead stump (2+ metres) can host a Downy nest. Mature deciduous trees with rough bark provide foraging territory. Planting native trees and avoiding insecticides keeps the beetle larvae and other insects that make up most of their natural diet plentiful.