Take 5: Woodpecker Wake-up Call

With summer winding down and fall approaching, you may start to hear the sound of a friendly neighbor or two, knocking on your door (or drainpipe, or siding, or trees). Woodpeckers!

Each fall, woodpeckers excavate roosting holes in preparation for the coming winter, utilizing a behavior called “drilling.” When woodpeckers drill, they actually chip out wood and create cavities as potential sites for nesting or roosting.

A similar behavior, but for a different purpose, is “drumming,” which a woodpecker does to attract a mate or mark its territory by alerting the competition. Drumming occurs most commonly in spring.

Learn more about the species of woodpeckers found in Massachusetts, how they manage to peck without brain injury, and what to do if a woodpecker is drilling on your house.

Got a great picture of a woodpecker at work? Submit it to our annual Picture This: Your Great Outdoors Photo Contest by September 30!