Red-bellied Woodpeckers in Illinois

Red-bellied Woodpeckers live in Illinois all year. Cold, windy winters in the north; the southern tip is milder and hosts more wintering species. That makes the cold months the time your yard matters most to them: their winter diet shifts toward acorns, pecans, pine seeds and fruit.

Humid continental, grading from the Lake Michigan shore and prairie north to the forested Shawnee Hills in the south.

Across Illinois, red-bellied woodpeckers typically nest from April–July. Nest site: excavated cavity in dead trees; occasionally large nest boxes. Females lay 4–5 eggs, incubate for 12 days, and young leave the nest after 22–27 days.

Hot, humid summers; much of the state is farmland, so backyard native plantings matter.

• Have boxes cleaned and mounted before March — red-bellied woodpeckers begin prospecting ahead of egg-laying.
• Use a 2 1/2 in entrance on a 6 × 6 in floor, mounted 12–20 ft.
• Fit a pole baffle or hole guard; ventilation gaps and drainage holes are essential.
• Clean out old nests after each brood and again after July.

Of the regional native plants we track for Illinois, these 8 provide food or cover red-bellied woodpeckers use:

A bold feeder visitor that also takes nectar and oranges. Cache-stores nuts in bark crevices.

• Best foods: Suet, Peanuts, Black-oil sunflower.
• In Illinois's winter: Cold, windy winters in the north; the southern tip is milder and hosts more wintering species.

Full diet breakdown for red-bellied woodpeckers · Best feeder for red-bellied woodpeckers