How to Get Rid of Woodpeckers

Co-authored by Elmer Bensinger

Last Updated: February 26, 2024 References

As cute as woodpeckers can be, you certainly don’t appreciate it when they drill away loudly against some nearby surface. At best, the sounds they make can be a rude awakening. At worst, a woodpecker can cause expensive damage to your home’s siding. Fortunately, there are things you can do to keep them away from your property.

Here are 10 effective ways to get rid of woodpeckers for good.

1

Make loud noises.

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This works to get rid of woodpeckers when you see them. Clap your hands, yell, whoop, or make any other kind of loud noise when an unwanted woodpecker is nearby. You can also try playing a loud audio clip of a predator’s sounds, such as the call of a hawk.^{[1]
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- For example, if a woodpecker wakes you up in the morning by banging away at your chimney, go outside with a metal pan and spoon and make a ruckus yourself to scare it away!

2

Place a fake bird of prey on your property.

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Plastic replicas of birds of prey can ward off woodpeckers. Get a fake owl or hawk and set it up in your yard or on top of your home. You can also try putting a fake fox in your yard or garden.^{[2]
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- Keep in mind that some woodpeckers might realize a decoy predator poses no real threat and come back after a while.

3

Put wind chimes up.

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The noise from wind chimes can scare woodpeckers off. Hang up wind chimes near wherever woodpeckers tend to go on your property to deter them. The motion of the chimes also helps deter woodpeckers.^{[3]
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- For instance, if a woodpecker comes and hammers on your home near your back door every morning, put wind chimes up on the eaves nearby.
- Or, if a woodpecker is pecking against your windows, hang wind chimes up nearby whatever windows they are targeting.

4

Hang up shiny objects.

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Shiny things can startle woodpeckers and scare them away. String up some shiny streamers, balloons, or aluminum foil near where woodpeckers are hanging out on your property. Anything that reflects light works, such as old CDs, for example.^{[4]
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- For example, hang shiny streamers at regular intervals from the gutters of your home’s roof to keep woodpeckers away from your home’s siding.
- Or, hang up old CDs from the branches of a tree that you want to discourage woodpeckers from pecking away at.

5

Set up a pinwheel.

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The motion of a pinwheel can repel woodpeckers. Stick a garden pinwheel in the ground near where a woodpecker is going on your property. Set several up in different areas to make woodpeckers think twice about choosing your yard to hang out in.^{[5]
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- You can get garden pinwheels at garden shops or online. There are all kinds of fun shapes and colors to choose from, so you can find one that complements your lawn or garden!

6

Get rid of insect infestations.

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This removes an attractive food source for woodpeckers. Call a pest control company to come to your property and inspect it for insects. Have them exterminate any populations of ants, termites, or other insects that woodpeckers may be feeding on.^{[6]
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- Even if you don’t see insects around, check your siding for insect damage. There might be insects inside the wood that woodpeckers are after.
- Bees are another insect that woodpeckers feed on, so keep an eye out for any hives.^{[7]
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  Elmer Bensinger
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- If you want to try to get rid of insects yourself, buy commercial poison bait or traps and place them around your property wherever you see the insects gathering.

7

Provide different food sources.

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This attracts woodpeckers away from areas you don’t want them in. Put up a cage-style bird feeder near where woodpeckers are attracted to on your property. Place a block of suet bird feed inside the cage to give the woodpeckers something to eat.^{[8]
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- Don't do this unless you deal with any insect problems first. Otherwise, you'll just be attracting more woodpeckers to the feast!
- Woodpeckers also eat berries and fruits, so you can try planting some berry bushes or fruit trees on your property to provide an alternate food source for woodpeckers as well.

8

Fix rotten wood.

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Rotten wood is especially attractive to woodpeckers. Check the siding and other wooden parts of your home for rot. Have a contractor come and replace it with new materials to get rid of woodpeckers that are attracted to the rotten wood.^{[9]
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- Woodpeckers like to make nests and look for insects in rotting wood.

9

Restrict access to certain areas with bird netting.

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Mesh bird netting prevents woodpeckers from perching on things. Install netting at least 3 in (7.6 cm) from whatever surface you want to keep woodpeckers off of, such as the side of your home or the trunk of a tree in your yard. Make sure you don’t leave any openings that woodpeckers could find their way into.^{[10]
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The Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Research lab of Cornell University dedicated to interpreting and conserving the Earth's biological diversity through research and education about birds

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- For instance, hang netting from the edge of your roof down to the ground to keep woodpeckers from reaching the siding of your home.

10

Plug holes with wood putty.

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This discourages further pecking. Inspect wood on your property for holes caused by woodpeckers. Fill them up with wood putty to encourage woodpeckers to go elsewhere.^{[11]
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The Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Research lab of Cornell University dedicated to interpreting and conserving the Earth's biological diversity through research and education about birds

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- If you see a fairly large hole, make sure there isn’t a woodpecker nesting inside of it before you fill it up!

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If you have a dead tree on your property, get it cut down and removed to remove an attractive source of food and nesting.

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The advice in this section is based on the lived experiences of wikiHow readers like you. If you have a helpful tip you’d like to share on wikiHow, please submit it in the field below.

I strung a piece of twine through tin foil and hung it to area of my house the woodpecker was attracted to. He came back once, pecked once, and was gone!
A woodpecker was making a nesting hole in my porch column. I placed an old CD over the hole so it would be scared off by the reflective surface.

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