Black-backed Woodpecker in May
Where black-backed woodpeckers are in May, whether they are nesting, and the best foods to offer right now.
May in the Black-backed Woodpecker's year
May is the peak of the birding year. Migration floods the North, dawn chorus is at its loudest, and nesting is underway across most of the continent. By month's end the first broods of the year are hatching in mid-latitudes.
For the Black-backed Woodpecker specifically, May is a spring month inside the nesting season — one of the most active and demanding periods of this bird's year. Across the 34 states and provinces where black-backed woodpeckers occur, what the bird is doing this month depends heavily on latitude — the details below break it down by band.
Where black-backed woodpeckers are in May
- Southern states
- absent
- Mid-latitudes
- year-round resident
- Northern states & Canada
- absent
In May, black-backed woodpeckers are absent in the South, year-round resident across the mid-latitudes, and absent in the northern states and Canada. That north–south split is the defining feature of this month: where you live changes which version of this bird you're looking at.
Nesting in May
May is inside the Black-backed Woodpecker nesting season — about a month earlier in the South and a month later in the North. Nest: cavity in a fire-killed conifer. Clutch 2–6 eggs, incubation 12–14 days, 1 per season.
In the South the season is already underway, while northern birds are still settling territories — a pair in Florida or Texas may be on eggs weeks before a pair in Minnesota or Ontario has even chosen a nest site. During the nesting months, adults switch to protein-rich foods for their young, become more secretive around the nest site, and often visit feeders in quick, purposeful trips rather than lingering.
What to feed in May
- Wood-boring beetle larvae in fire-killed trees
A fire specialist — flocks move into burns within a year and leave as the beetles run out.
Adults feeding nestlings need easy calories. Some species that ignored feeders all winter now visit regularly, and you may see fledglings brought to feeders by their parents.
Full Black-backed Woodpecker diet guide → · Best feeder for black-backed woodpeckers →
Watching black-backed woodpeckers this month
In May, the best watching is around food rather than the nest — adults make repeated foraging trips and are most visible at dawn and dusk. Give nesting birds space: if a bird is carrying food or scolding you persistently, you're close to a nest and should back off.
The state guides below show exactly where in your region black-backed woodpeckers are expected this month and which native plants hold them in a yard.
Black-backed Woodpecker month by month
Black-backed Woodpecker by state
Frequently asked
Where are black-backed woodpeckers in May?
In May, black-backed woodpeckers are absent in the South, year-round resident across mid-latitudes and absent in the North.
Do black-backed woodpeckers nest in May?
Yes — May falls inside the Black-backed Woodpecker nesting season at mid-latitudes.
What do black-backed woodpeckers eat in May?
Wood-boring beetle larvae in fire-killed trees.
Sources
- Black-backed Woodpecker — All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology
- Black-backed Woodpecker life history — Cornell Lab of Ornithology
- Black-backed 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.