Hairy Woodpecker in June
Where hairy woodpeckers are in June, whether they are nesting, and the best foods to offer right now.
June in the Hairy Woodpecker's year
June is the height of the nesting season. Most resident and migrant species are raising young, migration is essentially over, and bird activity peaks at dawn. By late June the first fledglings of the year are everywhere — clumsy, loud, and constantly begging.
For the Hairy Woodpecker specifically, June is a summer month inside the nesting season — one of the most active and demanding periods of this bird's year. Across the 61 states and provinces where hairy woodpeckers occur, what the bird is doing this month depends heavily on latitude — the details below break it down by band.
Where hairy woodpeckers are in June
- Southern states
- absent
- Mid-latitudes
- year-round resident
- Northern states & Canada
- absent
In June, hairy 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 June
June is inside the Hairy Woodpecker nesting season — about a month earlier in the South and a month later in the North. Nest: excavates in dead or living trees with heart rot. Clutch 3–6 eggs, incubation 11–15 days, 1 per season.
The southern nesting season has already wound down, but northern pairs are still raising young — the whole season shifts later as you go north. 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 June
- Wood-boring beetle larvae and ants
- Caterpillars and moth pupae
Warier than Downy and more tied to mature trees. Expect visits mainly in colder months, on suet placed near large trunks.
Expect to see adults carrying food away rather than eating it — they're feeding nestlings. Fledglings visiting feeders with their parents are a June highlight.
Full Hairy Woodpecker diet guide → · Best feeder for hairy woodpeckers →
Watching hairy woodpeckers this month
In June, 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.
If you have a Hairy Woodpecker box up, watch from a distance for comings and goings — steady traffic means an active nest — the box guide below has the exact hole size and mounting height this species needs.
Hairy Woodpecker month by month
Hairy Woodpecker by state
Frequently asked
Where are hairy woodpeckers in June?
In June, hairy woodpeckers are absent in the South, year-round resident across mid-latitudes and absent in the North.
Do hairy woodpeckers nest in June?
Yes — June falls inside the Hairy Woodpecker nesting season at mid-latitudes (a month earlier in the South).
What do hairy woodpeckers eat in June?
Wood-boring beetle larvae and ants; Caterpillars and moth pupae.
Sources
- Hairy Woodpecker — All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology
- Hairy Woodpecker life history — Cornell Lab of Ornithology
- Hairy Woodpecker — Audubon Guide to North American Birds
- NestWatch nest box plans and species requirements — Cornell Lab
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.