Delaware has a wide range of woodpeckers. And In this article, I’ll list and explain all the woodpeckers in Delaware. I’ll cover all the details (identification, habitat, traits, diet, etc).
Note: If you’re short on time I have compiled a table of all the woodpeckers with identification and their Diet. You can also read about these woodpeckers in detail below.
| Woodpeckers in Delaware | Length | Weight | Identification(Color) | Diet/Favorite Food |
| Red-headed Woodpecker | 7.5-9.1 in (19-23 cm) | 2.0-3.2 oz (56-91 g) | These birds have a bright-red head with white underparts, and black backs. | Mostly nuts, seeds, fruits, and berries |
| Pileated Woodpecker | 15.8-19.3 in (40-49 cm) | 8.8-12.3 oz (250-350 g) | This woodpecker has a black body with white stripes on the face and neck and a flaming-red crest. | Mostly insects and flies. |
| Hairy Woodpecker | 7.1-10.2 in (18-26 cm) | 1.4-3.4 oz (40-95 g) | These are black and white birds. ; The head of this bird has two white stripes. The black wings are checkered with white. | Mostly insects, berries, seeds, and nuts. |
| Northern Flicker | 30-35 cm | 120 gm(4.23oz) | Large woodpeckers, with a size in between crows and Robins, with brown body color and black spots, bars, and crescents all over their bodies along with a red nape. They also have hints of yellow on their bodies as well. | Black oil sunflower seeds are their favorite. |
| Downy Woodpecker | 14-17 cm | 21-28 gm (0.74-0.98oz) | They are b&w in color with patches of red here and there. They are found in woodlots, in backyards, and along streams. | Insects, beetle larvae, acorns, berries and grains, black oil sunflower seeds, peanuts, millets. |
| Red-bellied Woodpecker | 23-27 cm | 72 gm (2.5oz) | A pale red belly with a red cap b&w stripped back. | Insects, spiders, nuts, seeds, acorns, pine cones, grapes, oranges, hackberries, mangoes, sunflower seeds, and peanuts. |
| Yellow-bellied Sapsucker | 7.1-8.7 in (18-22 cm) | 1.5-1.9 oz (43-55 g) | This woodpecker is black and white with a boldly patterned face. Both males and females have red foreheads, and males also have red throats. | Mostly feed on tree sap, Arthropods, fruits, and nuts |
7 Types Of Woodpeckers In Delaware: In Detail
Red-headed Woodpecker
These woodpeckers are distinguished by their bright red heads and unique black and white patterns. The Red-headed Woodpecker is a medium-sized bird with a powerful spike beak.
They have short tails, white undersides, black backs, and massive white bands on their wings.
They have strong territorial defense abilities, including the capacity to steal or destroy other birds’ eggs. Red-headed Woodpeckers, like other woodpeckers, collect insects both in flight and in cracks.
Both male and female Red-headed Woodpeckers have similar appearances. Juveniles, on the other hand, have black hair with no red highlights.
If you see a drab woodpecker with a Red-headed Woodpecker, it’s most likely a mother and her young.
One-third of their food consists of insects such as beetles, midges, honey bees, and grasshoppers. Plant components such as seeds, nuts, and berries make up the remaining two-thirds.
If you want to attract Red-headed woodpeckers to your yard then feed them seeds, apples, berries, and grapes.
Pileated Woodpecker
The flaming-red triangular crest of the Pileated Woodpecker distinguishes it. It’s a huge woodpecker, around the size of a crow. The white underside of the wings may be seen when it is flying.
It’s largely black with a white stripe through the center. Males have a more prominent red stripe on their cheeks.
A red mark on the cheek of male Pileated Woodpeckers is common. The red mark on the cheek is absent in female Pileated Woodpeckers.
The crest is the most noticeable feature. The male and female crests are both fiery red and triangle-shaped, but the males are longer and extend all the way to the beak, whilst the females do not reach beyond the forecrown.
Pileated Woodpeckers consume carpenter ants, termites, beetle larvae, and other insects, as well as fruit and nuts such as blackberries, sumac berries, dogwood, and elderberry. They generate a forceful pounding sound as well as a loud whiny scream.
Pileated Woodpeckers consume suet from bird feeders in backyards. In addition to black oil sunflower seeds, they consume hulled sunflower seeds, suet, peanuts, and mealworms. You can also create a nest box to attract a mating couple.
Hairy Woodpecker
These medium-sized woodpeckers have a black and white pattern on their backs, as well as a huge white patch. A crimson flame appears on the backs of the males’ skulls.
It is similar to the Downy woodpecker, but it is bigger. They’re tough to identify since they always occur in the same places.
They are small, strong birds with a whinnying or explosive peak sound that can be spotted at backyard feeders.
Only male hairy woodpeckers make nests, but both male and female pileated woodpeckers tap into trees in quest of ants and other delectable insects.
As she prepares to deposit her eggs at the end of the season, the female will assist in putting the finishing touches on the nest and organizing it.
Hairy Woodpeckers consume beetle larvae, ants, and bark beetles, as well as bees, caterpillars, spiders, moth pupae, and millipedes. Suet feeders with a cage to prevent bigger birds from grabbing all the turns.
Furthermore, black oil sunflower seeds can attract more Hairy Woodpeckers to your yard, and combining them with suet in a superb suet and hopper feeder will offer you two feeders in one.
Northern Flicker
When flying, male Northern Flickers have a yellow flash in their wings and tails, a white patch on their rump, and a red nape of the neck. They are enormous brown woodpeckers with black patches on their backs.
Depending on whether they are from the east or west, male Northern Flickers have a black or red mustache that runs from their beak to their neck. The female Northern Flicker lacks a mustache.
Northern Flickers have a piercing screech and a loud ringing cry. They eat mostly ants and beetles, but they also eat fruits and seeds that they pull out of the ground with their bent nose.
Northern Flickers prefer birdbaths over bird feeders, so a gorgeous pedestal birdbath or a heated birdbath is the ideal winter option.
Using suet cages, huge hoppers, or platform feeders, feed black oil sunflower seeds, hulled sunflower seeds, safflower seeds, suet, broken maize, peanuts, and millet.
Downy Woodpecker
Despite its resemblance to the Hairy Woodpecker, it is one-third the size and has a smaller beak than other Woodpeckers.
Downy Woodpeckers are more likely to be seen at a feeder since they are more common. The Downy Woodpecker’s black and white patterning on the back is primarily black with a white patch. A red mark may also be seen on the backs of the males’ heads.
A red patch on the back of the head distinguishes male Downy Woodpeckers. They’re also a little smaller than Hairy Woodpeckers. Female Downy Woodpeckers are devoid of a red patch on top of their heads.
Small birds like nuthatches and chickadees are regularly observed with Downy Woodpeckers.
They can be seen in open woods, parks, orchards, and backyards, although they are most frequently observed at bird feeders. They’re also common among tall weeds.
Downy Woodpeckers can be seen at bird feeders in the backyard. They are quite active, making a high-pitched pik sound as well as a downward crying lament.
Insects, particularly larvae, as well as nuts, berries, acorns, and grains, are consumed by downy woodpeckers.
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Male red-bellied woodpeckers have bright red heads and bellies. In female Red-bellied Woodpeckers, just the back of the neck and not the top of the head are red.
Inexperienced bird viewers may mistake them for red-headed since their bellies are rarely scarlet. The rest of their body is adorned with a lovely crosshatch pattern of black and white stripes. Their name refers to a flushed, slightly colored patch on their abdomen.
At first look, their red heads are visible but avoid the urge to mistake them with Red-headed Woodpeckers.
Red-bellied Woodpeckers have a scarlet abdomen, albeit it is a light red that might go unnoticed when perched against a tree or feeder.
To recognize them, look for black and white barred wings and a red mohawk down their backs.
They like deciduous woods or suburban environments and are usually drawn to bird feeders, especially those containing peanuts and sunflower seeds.
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
It is around the size of a robin and is rather little. Males are mostly black, with crimson brows and scarlet throats. Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers drill holes in trees to gather sap using their brush-tipped tongues.
Female sapsuckers have a white neck, while males have a red neck. The throats of female yellow-bellied sapsuckers are white.
In juvenile paper birch, yellow birch, red or sugar maple, and hickory trees, they develop crisp horizontal rows of holes. To let the sap flow, the holes must be kept clean.
Young deciduous woodlands abound, with birch and maple trees predominating, and sap wells created in orderly rows to nourish the trees.
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