Hairy Woodpecker in May
Where hairy woodpeckers are in May, whether they are nesting, and the best foods to offer right now.
May in the Hairy 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 Hairy 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 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 May
- Southern states
- absent
- Mid-latitudes
- year-round resident
- Northern states & Canada
- absent
In May, 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 May
May is inside the Hairy Woodpecker nesting season. Nest: excavates in dead or living trees with heart rot. Clutch 3–6 eggs, incubation 11–15 days, 1 per season.
The season is broadly synchronized across the range this month. 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 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.
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 Hairy Woodpecker diet guide → · Best feeder for hairy woodpeckers →
Watching hairy 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.
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 May?
In May, hairy woodpeckers are absent in the South, year-round resident across mid-latitudes and absent in the North.
Do hairy woodpeckers nest in May?
Yes — May falls inside the Hairy Woodpecker nesting season at mid-latitudes.
What do hairy woodpeckers eat in May?
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.