Hairy Woodpeckers in California

Hairy Woodpeckers live in California all year. Wet, mild winters are the green season — the busiest time at coastal feeders as sparrows and hummingbirds settle in. That makes the cold months the time your yard matters most to them: their winter diet shifts toward bark beetles and larvae; suet and peanuts at feeders.

Mediterranean along the coast and Central Valley, alpine in the Sierra Nevada, and desert in the southeast.

Across California, hairy woodpeckers typically nest from March–June. Nest site: excavates in dead or living trees with heart rot. Females lay 3–6 eggs, incubate for 11–15 days, and young leave the nest after 28–30 days.

Dry summers with little rain from May to October; water and summer-blooming natives matter more than extra seed.

• Have boxes cleaned and mounted before February — hairy woodpeckers begin prospecting ahead of egg-laying.
• Use a 1 1/2 in round entrance on a 6 × 6 in floor, mounted 8–20 ft, box packed with wood shavings.
• Fit a pole baffle or hole guard; ventilation gaps and drainage holes are essential.
• Clean out old nests after each brood and again after June.

Of the regional native plants we track for California, these 8 provide food or cover hairy woodpeckers use:

Warier than Downy and more tied to mature trees. Expect visits mainly in colder months, on suet placed near large trunks.

• Best foods: Suet, Shelled peanuts, Black-oil sunflower.
• In California's winter: Wet, mild winters are the green season — the busiest time at coastal feeders as sparrows and hummingbirds settle in.

Full diet breakdown for hairy woodpeckers · Best feeder for hairy woodpeckers