5 Woodpecker Feeders Your Birds Will LOVE (2023)
Can you think of anyone who doesn’t enjoy woodpeckers at their feeders?
These unique birds are fascinating and fun to watch. And did I mention that woodpeckers love coming to feeders?! Why wouldn’t they? They get an energy boost and easy meal, which helps provide the extra calories needed to survive a harsh winter.
So as you can imagine, owning a few quality woodpecker feeders is vital to any successful bird feeding station.
Unfortunately, finding and shopping for the best woodpecker bird feeders can be confusing and time-consuming. There are many different styles and specifications to consider.
Today, I am going to share 5 different types of woodpecker feeders.
Quick Links
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Types of Woodpecker Bird Feeders (5 total)
- Woodpecker Feeder Buying Guide (Checklist)
But before we crash headfirst (*woodpecker pun*) into specific feeders, let’s address a common question:
What is the best food to attract woodpeckers to your bird feeders?
In nature, woodpeckers are opportunistic eaters and dine on a wide variety of foods including acorns, insects, nuts, fruit, and sap. Unfortunately, most of these foods are not practical to offer at feeders.
Don’t worry! There is a food that woodpeckers love that is commercially available, inexpensive, and reliably attracts almost every species of woodpecker to your feeders.
This magic food is called suet.
My guess is you already know about suet. It has long been a favorite food to offer to backyard birds. Woodpeckers love the stuff, along with chickadees, nuthatches, cardinals and many more!
Suet is rendered animal fat that is generally mixed with nuts, corn, or berries. It’s molded into either cakes, balls, or plugs.
Three different types of suet. (Cakes, nuggets, and plugs)
All of the different types of woodpecker feeders listed below use suet. So if you want to attract woodpeckers, it’s my recommendation to buy lots of the stuff! Test different types and brands in your backyard to see what works best. (For the record, woodpeckers do eat more than just suet. Peanuts and sunflower are also popular options!)
The 5 Best Types of Woodpecker Feeders
#1: Suet Cake Baskets
Using a simple basket design is the most inexpensive way to start feeding woodpeckers today.
There is nothing complicated about these feeders. It’s just a square metal cage that fits a suet cake perfectly. Many hopper style feeders even have suet cake baskets attached to the sides to offer a place for woodpeckers to feed.
Woodlink Hopper Feeder WITH Attached Suet Cages View Price on Amazon
The main reason these simple woodpecker feeders are so popular is that they work. In my experience, suet cake baskets attract smaller woodpeckers all day long. I have not had as much luck with larger woodpeckers, but it is possible.
Watch below to see a Pileated Woodpecker feeding!
Audubon Woodpecker Feeder Cage View Price/Buy Now
#2: Suet Cake Holders with Tail Prop
Woodpecker feeders that include a tail prop are probably my favorite!
Here’s why:
Next time you observe a woodpecker feeding naturally on a tree, look at their entire body. You will notice that woodpeckers prefer three points of contact, which includes their two feet and TAIL!
Woodpeckers prefer to have their tail securely pressed against something solid when they start banging their head on a tree. So a feeder with a tail prop should make your birds feel more at home while feeding.
Recommended Feeders:
I like that both of these feeders hold two suet cakes because I don’t have to refill the feeder as often AND I can test different suet cakes against each other to find the birds favorites. It’s hard to argue with the results of what the woodpeckers like best when both suet cakes are next to each other.
To see these woodpecker feeders in action, check out the live stream of my bird feeding station below!!! Most of the year, I have at least one of them hanging. Apologies if neither are currently not displayed. Typically, I take them down during the warm summer months due to melting suet. 🙁
#3: Suet Plug Woodpecker Feeders
Hanging a woodpecker feeder that holds suet plugs gives your backyard a unique and more natural look. Most suet plug feeders look like a log that hangs down vertically with a few holes drilled into the sides.
You can find both of the above suet plug feeders for sale below:
What exactly are suet plugs?
Instead of forming the suet into a square cake design, the suet is shaped into a short, circular roll that looks much like a plug. Just think of the shape of a Twinkie.
Pine Tree Farms Peanut Suet Plugs View Today's Price
These plugs are then shoved into the holes that are drilled into the sides of the suet plug feeders.
Since there are no mesh cages to stick their beaks through, a suet plug feeder gives access to all birds that can cling to the side of the vertical log. It also mimics naturally how woodpeckers feed.
#4: Suet Ball Woodpecker Feeders
So far we have gone over woodpecker feeders that use suet cakes or suet plugs, but another popular way to feed woodpeckers is to utilize suet balls.
Suet balls are what you think – the suet and other ingredients are formed into different size balls for the birds.
In general, there are two different sizes of suet balls (large and small) and each size requires a different type of woodpecker feeder.
Feeders for large suet balls:
To feed your woodpeckers large suet balls, make sure that the feeder has lots of space between the mesh or wires. It should comfortably hold a few suet balls and provide lots of easy access for the birds. (See picture below)
Songbird Essentials Suet Ball Feeder View Price on Amazon
Feeders for small suet balls (nuggets):
Personally, my preference is to use suet nuggets at my feeding station instead of large suet balls. They are easy to handle and make fun treats for many species of birds (not just woodpeckers!).
C&S Woodpecker Suet Nuggets View Price on Amazon
Suet nuggets are used in two different feeders that I own.
- Woodlink Platform Bird Feeder: If I want to feed a variety of species, then I just throw the nuggets on my platform feeder. They get gobbled up very quickly!
- Droll Yankees Metal Mesh Feeder: To individually feed woodpeckers, I put the suet nuggets (or peanuts) into this steel wire mesh feeder. There are no perches or trays attached, so the only birds that have access to the food are woodpeckers and other birds that can cling.
#5: Birdseed Cylinder Feeder
If you don’t have experience using seed cylinders in your backyard, just think of a mass of bird food that was shaped into a specific shape (usually a cylinder) using a natural binder. Normally a hole is drilled through the middle so the cylinders can be hung from a rod.
To attract woodpeckers, try to select a cylinder made out of suet dough or includes nuts!
Check out bird food cylinder feeders on Amazon.
Here are a few of the advantages to using bird seed cylinders in your backyard:
- They tend to last longer than loose birdseed. This is because all the seed is held together securely by gelatin and birds can’t kick anything to the ground.
- Birds also tend to stay longer on seed cylinders than a traditional feeder. Once again, it’s because of the gelatin that holds everything together. It takes birds longer to get every seed.
- They are convenient! One cylinder could theoretically have every major food group (mealworms, fats, berries, seeds, and nuts).
But in my backyard, the birds prefer loose seed. When I try using cylinder feeders, they always get chosen last!
Bird cylinders can also be shaped into any number of animals, characters, or designs! They make fun Christmas gifts too.
Woodpecker Feeder Buying Guide (Checklist)
While you are shopping for the best woodpecker feeders for your backyard, I thought it would be helpful to have a comprehensive checklist of features and things to watch for.
Just to be clear, there are no woodpecker feeders that are perfect and hit every item on this checklist. Think of this list as a shopping guide to compare different feeders and to make sure you don’t miss a feature that is important to YOU.
- Price
- As with most products, typically the more you pay, the longer it will last.
- The amount of food the feeder can hold:
- Whether that be suet cakes, plugs, balls, peanuts, etc.
- The suet or food is protected from rain and snow:
- Easy to fill:
- You will appreciate an easy to fill feeder in the winter or rain!
- Easy to clean:
- Easy to hang:
- Birds can access the food easily and comfortably:
- Food is visible from a distance:
- Tail Prop:
- Remember that woodpeckers naturally enjoy feeding with their tail pressed securely against a tree.
- Manufactured by a reputable company:
- Durable and sturdy (made of high-quality materials):
- We all want our feeders to last a long time and not fade, break, or have squirrels chew on them!
- Warranty:
- Size of the woodpecker feeder:
- This is especially important if you are trying to attract large woodpeckers.
Conclusion
Having a backyard that is regularly visited by many species of woodpeckers is a lot of fun! Luckily, it’s easy to get started today!
1. Check out each of the 5 different styles of woodpecker feeders to see what you like best.
2. Before purchasing a new woodpecker feeder, review the above checklist to make sure you do not forget something.
3. Use the comments below to keep the conversation going. I would love to hear your thoughts and responses:
- What are your best tips for attracting woodpeckers?
- What is your favorite woodpecker bird feeder?
- Is suet the best food to use for woodpeckers?
Thanks again for reading. Happy birding!
Scott
Woodpeckers are known to use their long beaks to peck and make holes on the side of the trees where they create their nests. The drilling behavior of these birds makes them both adorable and a nuisance. Houses and trees are their targets, which is a headache to many homeowners. After all, it is an added expense to fix the damage woodpeckers cause. Nonetheless, it is an excellent opportunity to sightsee birds.
Nice. Thank for sharing useful information. This article helps me a lot. So I can know more knowledge about woodpeckers. I like reading about them. Hope you write more.
Do you have a local garden nursery or even a farmers seed store? I get the best buys there.
I have two types of feeders in my yard that discourage large birds and squirrels. One is a squirrel buster. This tube feeder has a green cage around it that slides down and covers the feeder ports when a squirrel or similarly heavy bird like a blackbird tries to feed on it. The other is quite large, long, clear, with a heavy flexible support underneath. Birds can perch easily to eat. When something heavy, like a squirrel, a blackbird or a dove, climbs on it to reach the feeding port, the flexible support collapses dropping them to the ground. My biggest problem are the deer that can bypass these safeties.
Hope this helps.
I have tried suet cakes numerous times over the years and have not had any luck with any type of birds eating them. I have had great turnout for black oil sunflower seeds, every type of bird at my feeders prefer them to any other seed. Even the finches prefer them to thistle, when I supply both sunflower seed and thistle I usually end up dumping the thistle because all of the finches are eating sunflower seeds. Even the squirrels, and deer eat the sunflower seeds instead of peanuts or corn. So it is safe to say I only buy sunflower seeds for all of my feeders. And I have hundreds of happy birds.
Usually you do save some cents when you buy suet in bulk, sometimes cases of; 10, 12, or 15. Where I work, those are the numbers. Suet should last a loooonnggg time so you’ll be fine. And if you’re birds don’t get through it, you can put out multiple cages.
I really like Stokes Select feeder, the cage does not just protect the suet from bird food stealing predators like squirrels but also keep the birds some peace while feeding.
Have you ever tried Stokes Select Suet feeder? I love how easy it is to fill and hang this feeder for woodpeckers to enjoy. The double-lock closure hook is tight enough to keep the sweet suet fresh and safe.
I set out a suet feeder for the woodpeckers. But it attracted a huge flock of starlings that scared off the other birds
Great article loved it! Thanks!
Where can a person order a large quantity to get a better price. But it also depends on how shelf stable it is any thoughts thank you. Mike
read some of scotts older stuff being a fellow Ohion his advice has greatly improved all aspects of my birding. I too love my woodpeckers i’ve had about 8 generations of downies. And i’m enjoying a few baby red bellies now. I made some feeders mounted right by my living room window and what a great winter watching them sharing breakfast and reruns of seinfeld in the morning. the best feeders I made are with two pieces of a log cut with just a small space for them to get there beaks in. My best are two pileated that came last year hoping for there return this year. thanks again Scott your advice is the best.
Absolutely shocked!!!! Have learned so much from you Scott and under stood what you said thank you!!! Love my wood peckers they visit every day and just found out I could spoil them so much more!! So excited. I have a lot of Cardinals that come daily and bring their babies. My window feeders always fall off so I will get them back out and try the oil . You covered so much in one session that I am ready to try your suggestions and enjoyed your videos. Will go visit Amazon now to see what I can buy to bring more babies. Will plant more sunflowers.Thank you !! You have made me so happy with trying times in our world today with this virus Bless You!!!!
Scott…. great site! It has been extremely helpful in figuring out my bird feeding scenario. I have fed birds for a long time, but it was usually just a couple feeders with a general food mix in a city lot front yard. Squirrels were terrors. Blackbirds took over occasionally. The usual and expected.
However, about 3 years ago, we moved to a much more rural 2-ish acres. Being across from a large tree farm, next to an orchard and corn fields and very few neighbors, the birds are abundant. Strangely, we have no squirrels, just adorable chipmunks. But the blackbirds/grackles/starlings must have followed me and brought families with…. noisy, obnoxious, bullying families that have chased away most other birds.
I have used many tips from your site. Put up a separate Nyjer feeder. Stopped using a regular fly-in feeder for now and replaced it with a large tube hanger (containing just Safflower), Super Stop-A-Squirrel feeder (a mix including Safflower) and a couple Berns Suet feeders. (Even added a solar fountain to the bird bath for an added lure). It took a couple months, but most of the Grackles and Starlings have moved on. But the Red-Winged Blackbirds are crafty and continue to defy gravity and logic. A peanut wreath has been removed due to them pounding away on it until all the peanuts are smashed open and emptied. The Berns feeders have been mastered by the Downey woodpeckers, but the Blackbirds can also hang from the dowels well enough to feed. A downward facing suet holder (hoping the Red Bellied Woodpecker would stick around) is easily defeated by the Blackbirds. They will perch on the tube feeder and throw the safflower out in large bunches looking for something better. They are relentless. If they just ate out of hunger, I would welcome them. But they tear everything apart and gourge themselves until I’m afraid they’ll blow up. They purposely scare the other birds away whenever possible.
Any ideas on how to defeat the devious Blackbirds would be much appreciated. I would like to get the Cardinals, Blue Jays and Red Bellied Woodpeckers back (they were bullied away). Throwing peanuts out on the ground every day has gotten a Cardinal couple back, but the peanuts don’t last long with the Blackbirds around.
Thanks for reading my bird tale of woe. 🙂
Love your site. I started making my own suet, using grape nuts, extra crunchy peanut butter,some oatmeal sprinkled with raisins all mixed with suet from the store. They absolutely love it! only problem so does a neighborhood raccoon who has climbed the 5 foot pole numerous times and raided my suet cages. The last time he ripped the whole feeder down just tore 4 brackets out of the pole!
LOVE the woodpeckers just started birding last year. I had a pair of downy s and there three juveniles from the beginning and they stayed all winter thanks to alot of suet! the 3 small ones are so used to me they will land inches away from me. I’ve also had 2 adult red bellied and just this spring I had a yellow flicker show up but only for a day.
Sounds awesome. The Red-bellieds are my favorite!
Hello, I have a large variety of woodpeckers that feed on our suet cakes however, I am not sure the best way to feed the woodpeckers during the warmer months as the suet cakes melt. Any advice would be wonderful! Thank you!
Try a metal mesh feeder filled with peanuts, that is what I typically use in the summer!
I just wanted to share how much I enjoy your website. I don’t know if it is your clear and concise writing style or what, but I rarely find websites that match the way my mind needs to receive information – organized, thoughtful points with reminders and additional, related links. Thank you SO much. We live in western Nebraska and are now retired and interested in starting to do more extensive feeding of our wild bird poplulation. I will be revisiting your site regularly. I am hoping you are also open to personal help and emails.
Karen
Karen,
Thanks for the kind words! I try to write every post as concisely as possible so it’s nice you noticed. I think you are going to love feeding your birds, but just a warning that it can become highly addicting. Soon enough you may have a garage/shed full of feeders and food. Please come back often and looking forward to hearing from you again.
Scott