How Do You Keep Woodpeckers Away From Hummingbird Feeders?

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You love to watch hummingbirds when they are sipping sugar water from a feeder, and that is why you introduce a hummingbird feeder in your yard. But, you suddenly notice that woodpeckers are raiding the feeder and keep hummingbirds away. Yes, the situation is so common for many ones.

If you face such issues and want to get rid of them, then today’s guide is for you. You will go to learn how to keep woodpeckers away from hummingbird feeders and attract your favorite birds.

Are hummingbirds afraid of woodpeckers?

Hummingbirds always like to feed with a similar species. When they see any large bird in their feeding place, they avoid it because they react to larger birds as a predator. 

So, while hummingbirds see the woodpeckers or other large birds eat nectar on their feeder, they avoid using the feeder as they scare by the woodpeckers and other large birds. 

Do woodpeckers drink hummingbird nectar?

It is surprising to many people when they first notice woodpeckers drink nectar. But, the reality is it is true, and they have an extra attraction on it. The good part is all types of woodpeckers do not like to drink hummingbird nectar.

Generally, you will notice the specific woodpeckers in hummingbirds feeder who like to feed on sap and flower nectar. These woodpeckers included: 

  • Acorn Woodpeckers
  • Downy Woodpeckers
  • Gila Woodpeckers
  • Ladder-Backed Woodpeckers
  • Red-Bellied Woodpeckers

How to keep woodpeckers away from hummingbird feeders?

You need to be a bit tricky if you are planning to keep away woodpeckers. This is because if you introduce anything which afraid of woodpeckers, it also scares the hummingbirds. So, you should not use a CD or decoy which keeps both of them away.

Below are listed some easy tips which can help you to deter woodpeckers from hummingbirds feeders:

Introduce perchless hummingbird feeder

The common difference between their feeding style is that hummingbirds like to sip while on a flight. On the other hand, woodpeckers like to perch. So, I hope you understand what your task is now. You need to introduce a hummingbird feeder which comes without any perch. Don’t worry; it does not decline your yard hummingbird traffic. 

For this, the easiest way to keep them away from your yard is to introduce anti woodpecker hummingbird feeders, which means a perchless feeder.

In these terms, Our recommended perchless hummingbird feeder is Gray Bunny Mini Hummingbird Feeders.

Use baffle

Sometimes you will notice woodpeckers trying to get nectar perching on the top of the feeder or grabbing the hanging wire that does not come with perches. And, they get paid for their hard task by getting nectar. So, you need to stop woodpeckers from perching on the top of the feeder.

So, you need to attach a baffle on the top of the feeders. You can also use a flat surface plate or old CD. But, before putting the old CD as a baffle, you need to remove the shiny parts which reflect while sunlight falls into it. Otherwise, it will keep both woodpeckers and hummingbirds away.

Introduce different food stations for woodpeckers

Though hummingbirds only like to sip nectar from a feeder, the woodpeckers are entirely different. They have a variety of choices and favorite food. Woodpeckers like to take black oil sunflower seeds, mealworms, suet, peanut, grains, etc. 

You can introduce a new feeder near the hummingbird’s feeder, containing their other favorite food item. Also, they do not find any issue feed upside down even though they love it. 

But, among all of them, they have an extra attraction on suet. So, you can also introduce a suet feeder in your yard. You can also introduce a large feeder which contains nectar or sugar water to keep them away from hummingbirds’ small feeders.

Plant woodpeckers friendly plant

You already know that woodpeckers also have an extra attraction to natural food. So, you can introduce natural food sources to keep them away from hummers feeder. 

You can plant berry bushes or a small orchard of fruit trees that woodpeckers love. You need to keep a reasonable distance between the plant and feeder to avoid their attention from it. 

Cons of woodpeckers presence on hummingbirds feeder

You will witness many drawbacks while woodpeckers raid hummer feeders. A few are listed below:

  • Intimidate the hummingbirds and keeps them away from your backyard.
  • You need to refill the feeder frequently.
  • Invite more unwanted insects like ants and bees by spilling nectar.

Final words

If you are fading up due to the woodpecker’s presence in your favorite hummingbird feeder, I hope now you are relieved as you will apply the above tips to deter woodpeckers from your hummingbird feeder. However, if you have any queries regarding this, let’s start a conversation in the comment section.

A freelance designer, writer, and content marketer who also loves to spend her leisure watching wild birds and improving her garden and balconies making safe heaven for birds.

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