Indiana has a diverse variety of woodpeckers. And In this article, I’ll list and explain all the woodpeckers In Indiana. I’ll cover all the aspects (identification, traits, diet, habitat, 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 Indiana | Length | Weight | Identification(Color) | Diet/Favorite Food |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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 Indiana: In Detail
Red-bellied Woodpecker
The male red-bellied woodpecker has a reddish-brown head and a reddish-brown belly. Inexperienced bird watchers may mistake them for red-headed since their bellies are seldom crimson. The remainder of their body is a stunning black and white striped crosshatch.
Their red heads are evident at first glance but don’t confuse them with Red-headed Woodpeckers.
The stomach of Red-bellied Woodpeckers is color, although it is a pale red that may be missed when perched against a tree or feeder. Look for black and white barred wings and a red mohawk down their neck to identify them.
They like deciduous woodlands or suburban settings and are attracted to bird feeders, particularly ones containing peanuts and sunflower seeds.
Red-headed Woodpecker
These woodpeckers are easily identified by their blazing redheads and distinctive black and white patterns. The Red-headed Woodpecker has a robust spike beak and is a medium-sized bird.
Their tails are short, their undersides are white, their backs are black, and their wings feature huge white bands. Like other woodpeckers, Red-headed Woodpeckers catch insects in flight and in crevices.
Beetles, midges, honey bees, and grasshoppers make for almost a third of their diet. The remaining two-thirds are made up of plant components including seeds, nuts, and berries.
If you want to attract Red-headed woodpeckers to your yard then feed them fruits such as apples, berries, and grapes, as well as seeds and nuts.
Pileated Woodpecker
The Pileated Woodpecker is distinguished by its flaming-red triangular crest. It’s a colossal woodpecker, around the size of a crow. The white underside of the wings may be seen when it is flying.
It’s mostly black with a white stripe running down the center. Males’ cheeks have a more noticeable red stripe.
Carpenter ants, termites, beetle larvae, and other insects, as well as fruit and nuts such as blackberries, sumac berries, dogwood, and elderberry, are eaten by Pileated Woodpeckers. They make a piercing whinnying cry as well as a strong thumping noise.
Pileated Woodpeckers consume suet from backyard bird feeders. They eat hulled sunflower seeds, suet, peanuts, and mealworms in addition to black oil sunflower seeds.
Hairy Woodpecker
Hairy woodpeckers are fascinating because they resemble downy woodpeckers so closely. If you’re having problems telling the difference between the two species, as many bird observers do, there are a few indications that could help.
Hairy woodpeckers are bigger than downy woodpeckers, and because of their larger size, they typically nest in larger trees and consume insects off them.
Hairy woodpeckers also seem to have an inexhaustible supply of energy when it comes to dining, and they have been known to dive deep into trees to retrieve their favored food source, wood-boring insect larvae.
Aside from extreme northern Canada and the extreme southern United States, they have a greater range than downy woodpeckers and may be found all throughout the United States and Canada.
If you believe you’re witnessing a huge, active downy woodpecker, you’re most likely seeing a hairy woodpecker.
Downy Woodpecker
Despite its similarity to the Hairy Woodpecker, it is one-third smaller and has a smaller beak than other Woodpeckers.
Because they are more abundant, Downy Woodpeckers are more likely to be sighted at a feeder. They have black and white patterning on the back. On the backs of the males’ heads, a red mark may also be observed.
They may be seen in open woods, parks, orchards, and backyards, although they prefer to feed at bird feeders. They can also be found in tall weeds.
Bird feeders in the backyard attract Downy Woodpeckers. Downy woodpeckers eat insects, especially larvae, as well as nuts, berries, acorns, and cereals.
Northern Flicker
Northern Flickers have a yellow flash in their wings and tails, as well as a white patch on their rump when flying and a red nape of the neck in males. They’re huge brown woodpeckers with black spots on their backs.
Northern Flickers have a loud ringing call and a piercing shriek. They eat largely ants and beetles, but they also eat fruits and seeds that they dig up with their bent snout on the ground.
Northern Flickers prefer birdbaths over bird feeders, so investing in a beautiful pedestal birdbath or a heated birdbath is the best solution throughout the winter.
Feed black oil sunflower seeds, hulled sunflower seeds, safflower seeds, suet, cracked corn, peanuts, and millet using suet cages, big hoppers, or platform feeders.
Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker
It’s around the size of a robin and rather little. Males are primarily black, with red foreheads and crimson throats. Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers use their brush-tipped tongues to drill holes in trees and extract sap.
They form clean horizontal rows of holes in young paper birch, yellow birch, red or sugar maple, and hickory trees. The openings must be kept clean to allow the sap to flow.
On birch and maple trees, where they form regular rows of sap wells to feed, young deciduous forests are common.
Although squirrels are rarely seen at bird feeders, they will come for suet on occasion, so make squirrel-proof suet feeders with mealworm or peanut butter suet.
Related Articles You May Like