Perch Supply
Diet

What do red-headed woodpeckers eat?

Insects caught in flight, acorns and beechnuts cached for winter.

Woodpeckers (Picidae)Red-headed WoodpeckerMelanerpes erythrocephalus

Spring and summer diet

  • Flying insects and beetles

Fall and winter diet

  • Stored acorns and beechnuts

Best feeder foods

  • Suet
  • Peanuts
  • Sunflower

A declining open-woodland species that visits yards with large dead limbs left standing.

Which feeder works best for red-headed woodpeckers →

Where red-headed woodpeckers need winter food

Regions where red-headed woodpeckers are present in the cold months:

AlabamaArkansasDelawareFloridaGeorgiaIllinoisIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMarylandMississippiMissouriNew JerseyNorth CarolinaOhioOklahomaSouth CarolinaTennesseeTexasVirginiaWest Virginia

Frequently asked

What do red-headed woodpeckers eat?

Insects caught in flight, acorns and beechnuts cached for winter.

What is the best food to feed red-headed woodpeckers?

Suet, Peanuts, Sunflower.

What do red-headed woodpeckers eat in winter?

Stored acorns and beechnuts.

Sources

  1. Red-headed Woodpecker — All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology
  2. Red-headed Woodpecker life history — Cornell Lab of Ornithology
  3. Red-headed Woodpecker — Audubon Guide to North American Birds

Timing reflects typical patterns for the region as a whole; local dates vary with elevation and year. Check the linked eBird bar charts for your county.