7 Woodpeckers in Connecticut Guide
If you’re looking for woodpeckers in Connecticut, this guide has everything you need to know! From the different types of woodpeckers found in the state to their identification features and where they live, this guide is a must-have for anyone searching for these birds.
If you are also looking for other birds in Connecticut, check out our articles on Backyard Birds in Connecticut, Hawks in Connecticut, Owls in Connecticut, and Ducks in Connecticut.
What are the different types of woodpeckers in Connecticut?
1. Red-bellied woodpecker
Scientific Name: Melanerpes carolinus Size: 9.4 inches
Description And Field Marks
The red-bellied woodpecker is widespread and common across the United States. However, they are endangered in Connecticut and are considered one of the rarest breeding birds in the state. Their physical appearance makes them easy to identify, and they are also known for their distinctive call.
You can identify them by their red belly (hence the name) and black and white stripes down their back. Male Red-bellied Woodpeckers also have a red cap, but females only have napes of red.
It’s medium-sized, it’s loud, and it will peck on your siding.
Nesting
Red-bellied Woodpeckers also build nests in dead trees and make the same nest each year. The male and female help to excavate the hole and care for the eggs. They lay up to 4-5 eggs on top of wood chips inside the nest cavity. The eggs hatch after about 2 weeks, and the young birds leave the nest after about 4-5 weeks
Diet
Red-bellied Woodpeckers devour spiders, insects, and seeds from grasses, fruits, and nuts. They are especially fond of acorns and beech nuts. In fact, they play an important role in dispersing these seeds since they often cache (or store) more food than they can eat in one sitting.
Loves suet, peanut butter, and peanuts from your birdfeeders.
Habitat
Red-bellied Woodpeckers are found in all Eastern US states, and they don’t migrate. This means that you can see them in Connecticut all year round! They tend to stay close to the ground and can often be found in birdfeeders, specifically in wooded areas.
Call
Drumming
2. Yellow-bellied sapsuckers
Scientific Name: Sphyrapicus varius Size: 7.1-8.7 inches
Description And Field Marks
The Yellow-bellied Sapsucker is larger than the Downy Woodpecker and smaller than the Hairy Woodpecker about the size of a Robin with black and white plumage.
It has a straight bill and long wings The yellow-bellied sapsucker woodpecker has markings on its underside, but its plumage is mostly black and white. The female has a red cap on its head while the male also has a red cap plus a red throat. They both have pale yellow bellies.
Nesting
The male chips out a cavity in a tree about 10 inches deep which takes him several weeks. As the cavity is deep inside, the outside hole of the nest is only about 1.5 inches giving protection to the eggs and young.
The female lays 3 to 6 white eggs with an incubation period of 10 to 13 days. The young stay in the nest for about a month.
Diet
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker drills into trees and eats their sap similar to the way we tap a tree for maple syrup. They don’t go on dead trees like other woodpeckers do but love maple trees and other trees. They sometimes are seen on feeders eating suet.
Habitat
The yellow-bellied sapsucker is a migratory bird that mostly visits Connecticut for breeding.
The yellow-bellied sapsucker is known for drilling small, neatly spaced rows of sap wells. Look for the yellow-bellied sapsucker by its love of aspen trees. They act like other woodpeckers with the way they move up and down the tree but are very protective of their sap wells keeping other birds away.
Call
Drumming
3. Northern flicker
Scientific Name: Colaptes auratus Size: 11.0-12.2 inches
Description And Field
The Northern Flicker male and female are similar in color. They both have a rounded head, the bill is curved down and the tail tapers to a long point.
With its gray-brown plumage, Northern Flickers stand out from other woodpeckers in their area. They also have plenty of dark markings on their undersides as well as brightly colored tail feathers.
Although the same bird their colors differ from the eastern United States (bright yellow wing and tail feathers) and the western US (red wing and tail feathers).
The Northern Flicker is also known as “the woodpecker that doesn’t peck wood.” Instead, it gleans insects from the bark of trees.
Nesting
It nests in holes excavated by other animals, such as squirrels and woodpeckers. It lays 5 to 8 eggs which are all white. They only have one brood per nesting season.
The incubation period is around 2 weeks and the young stay in the nest for about a month.
Diet
Northern Flickers mostly will eat insects that they get from the ground. They will “drum” at the ground as other woodpeckers drum in trees and wood. During the winter months, they will also eat fruits and seeds.
The Northern Flicker is a great backyard bird because it is generally easy to attract and stops in at your suet and peanut feeders, but most likely you’ll see them nesting in old trees.
Habitat
You will see Northern Flickers in city parks and backyards in the suburbs. They will also be in woodlands with open trees, burned forests, swamps, and marshes.
The most common time to see the Northern Flicker is during the spring and summer in Connecticut as it migrates south for the wintertime.
Call
The Northern Flicker has a wide range of calls. It has a typical woodpecker-like “drum” and a more musical, gurgling call that is often mistaken for the song of the Red-winged Blackbird.
They make excellent watch birds due to their loud “wicka-wicka-wicka” call that can be heard from quite a distance.
Drumming
4. Pileated woodpecker
Scientific Name: Dryocopus pileatus Size: 16.5 inches
Description And Field Marks
The largest woodpeckers in Massachusetts are the Pileated. It’s almost the size of a crow with an all-black body with white stripes down a long neck and a bright red crest on the back of their heads and strong bills. White under-wing and white wing patches are easily seen in flight.
Pileated Woodpeckers fly in fairly straight lines, unlike other woodpecker species, who fly in undulating lines.
These are noisy, loud woodpeckers. Their drum is slow and powerful, accelerates, and then trails off, not more than two times a minute.
Nesting
Pileated Woodpeckers drill out nest holes in large dead tree trunks.
Diet
They really like Carpenter Ants, so they’re often found foraging at the bottoms of dead trees or on fallen logs.
Habitat
The Pileated Woodpecker is a common bird that can be found in the United States. They prefer extensive deciduous or mixed forests, although they can be found in some wooded parks. Pileated Woodpeckers look for dead trees and logs, which offer food and a nest cavity.
Bird Notes
Pileated Woodpecker holes are rectangular rather than round or oval like other woodpeckers, and they are deep enough to break smaller trees in half.
Call
Their call is loud and can last several seconds.
Drumming
5. Downy woodpecker
Scientific Name: Dryobates pubescens Size: 5.5-6.7 inches
Description And Field Marks
The Downy Woodpecker is bigger than a junco or House Finch but smaller than Red-winged Blackbirds and is the smallest woodpecker in Connecticut. It has a black-and-white striped head and black wings with white spots and a solid white back and white underparts. The Downy Woodpecker has a black tail with white outer tail feathers with black bars or spots. The male has a small red spot on the back of his head. They can fly at 25 miles per hour.
Nesting
Look for their nest in dead trees or live trees with dead areas. They carve out an area large enough for the eggs and the bird. They line the nest only with wood chips. The nest can take weeks to make and is done by both the male and female.
A Downy woodpecker only has one brood each year with 3 to 8 eggs which are white in color. The incubation period is around 12 days with both the male and female taking turns. The young will stay in the nest for around 30 days.
Diet
Mostly Downy Woodpeckers eat insects. The male tends to eat from the ground while the female likes to find insects from branches and in trees. They will also eat seeds, weeds, and fruit.
The Downy Woodpecker will visit your backyard suet feeders for suet and nuts.
Habitat
The Downy is the most common woodpecker in the state of Connecticut, especially in places where there are trees. You will see them in residential areas, cities, farmland, and wooded areas.
Call
Drumming
6. Hairy woodpecker
Scientific Name: Leuconotopicus villosus Size: 7.1-10.2 inches
Description And Field Marks
Very similar to the Downy Woodpecker in color and looks except the Hairy Woodpecker is larger in size and has a longer bill.
It’s a medium-sized woodpecker found in eastern North America. They have black and white plumage, and a red crest. The male has a red-orange head. They are known to eat berries, fruits, and nuts. The Hairy Woodpecker is a protected bird in Connecticut.
Nesting
Hairy Woodpeckers make their nest in trees, especially diet trees. They lay 3-6 all-white eggs with an incubation period of 10 to 12 days. The young woodpeckers remain in the nest for about a month.
Diet
The hairy woodpecker is known for its habit of pecking into trees for food, specifically wood-boring insects. Their main source of food is insects just they find in trees and branches.
Habitat
Hairy Woodpeckers are year-round residents of Connecticut backyards and also wood forests, especially pine trees which are abundant. If you don’t see them you will definitely hear them drumming on trees.
Call
They have a high-pitched call to warn others about potential danger.
Drumming
7. Red-headed woodpecker
Scientific Name: Melanerpes erythrocephalus Size: 7.5-9.1 inches
Description And Field Marks
You can’t miss this medium-sized woodpecker with its red head and white belly. The Red-headed woodpecker is the size of a Hairy woodpecker, between the size of a Robin and a Crow.
It has a powerful, spike bill that it uses to peck at wood to get insects. Its back and the tip of its tail are black but it has white wings. The male and female look the same but an immature bird has a brownish head with brown on its back and although its wings are white they have brown lines on them.
Nesting
The red-headed woodpecker is the only woodpecker that really doesn’t breed in Connecticut even though occasionally it will happen. This woodpecker is known to be destructive, particularly when it comes to other birds’ nests and eggs.
The red-headed woodpecker lays white eggs which are incubated by the mother. The baby woodpeckers leave the nest after 27 days and fly away to find food.
Diet
Their diet consists mainly of insects, fruits, and seeds. It is one of the few woodpeckers that will store its food in tree cavities to consume at a later date. They will also visit backyard suet feeders during the winter.
Habitat
The red-headed woodpecker is one of the more aggressive woodpeckers as it will fight with birds larger than itself and even take over nest boxes from other birds including ducks.
They like to inhabit deciduous forests and groves of large trees in old fields or wooded swamps in the eastern part of the United States. It is endangered in Connecticut due to a decline in farming and a loss of large wooden areas.
Call
Drumming
Ivory-billed Woodpecker
Although there are 7 species of woodpeckers commonly found in Connecticut there is another woodpecker that is rarely seen in Connecticut, the ivory-billed woodpecker. This bird species is now listed as an endangered species and is rarely seen in the northeastern united states.
How can you identify each type of woodpecker?
Step 1: Look at the overall size of the woodpecker.
The Pileated Woodpecker is the biggest woodpecker and is mostly black with white stripes on its face and neck. To identify this woodpecker, look for a large triangle of the red crest on the top of its head.
Downy Woodpeckers and Hairy Woodpeckers can be easily identified by their bill size in relation to their head size. Downy Woodpeckers have a small bill while Hairy Woodpeckers have a bill that is almost the same size as their head.
Step 2: Look at the coloration of the woodpecker.
There are a few ways to identify woodpeckers by their appearance. One way is to look at the coloration of the woodpecker. Male woodpeckers usually have a red patch on the back of their heads, while females do not. Another way to identify woodpeckers is by their size. Males and females have different color patterns, so that can be another way to tell them apart.
Step 3: Look at the habitat of the woodpecker.
The habitat can help identify the type of woodpecker. Woodpeckers are typically found in forests, so if you see a woodpecker in a forest, it is most likely a Hairy Woodpecker. If you see a woodpecker in an open field, it is most likely a Downy Woodpecker.
Step 4: Look at the behavior of the woodpecker.
The behavior of a woodpecker can help identify the type of woodpecker. Male woodpeckers have a red patch at the back of their heads, which females lack. Woodpeckers are often attracted to houses because they want people to pay attention to their surroundings. If you see a woodpecker pecking at your house, it might be worth calling an expert to figure out what the bird is trying to tell you.
Where are the best places to find woodpeckers in Connecticut?
Woodpeckers can be found in many places in Connecticut. Forests cover 61% of the state, making it a great place to find woodpeckers. Woodpeckers can be found in East Rock Park, Harkness State Park, Cockaponset State Forest, Nehantic State Forest, and the Yale-Myles forest. Some woodpeckers migrate elsewhere in the US during the winter. There are different kinds of woodpeckers in Connecticut, and some can be seen at backyard feeders. The best time to go birding is during the spring and summer when the birds are in their natural habitats. The Pileated Woodpecker is the biggest woodpecker in Connecticut while the Downy Woodpecker is the smallest.
What is the average lifespan of a woodpecker?
Woodpeckers are small birds with a lifespan of 6 to 10 years.
What do woodpeckers eat?
Woodpeckers are a type of bird that is known for its ability to peck at trees. Woodpeckers mainly feed on wood-boring insects, grubs, eggs, and pupae. They use their sharp and heavy bill to chisel and dig into trees in order to reach the food.
Suet, sunflower seeds, and peanuts are the best foods for attracting woodpeckers. If you wish to feed them suet products, it is important to buy a specialized feeder. Woodpeckers eat a variety of insects, including beetle larvae, ants, and caterpillars. They also consume a mix of berries, grains, and acorns.
How to Attract Woodpeckers to Your Backyard
The best way to attract woodpeckers to your backyard is by setting up a feeder and filling it with suet, sunflower seeds, and peanuts. You can also attract woodpeckers by getting a bird bath and planting native trees.
Conclusion
Now that you know more about the different types of woodpeckers in Connecticut, keep an eye and especially an ear out to see these birds.
For more information on woodpeckers in Connecticut as well as other birds check out the Connecticut Audubon.
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