Do Pileated Woodpeckers come to feeders

Believing Pileated Woodpeckers don't come to feeders will be wrong, as its due to their large size they will often have to ignore what are inaccessible bird feeders.

Pileated Woodpeckers come to bird feeders with only those made accessible to an enormous backyard bird. Pileaters primarily feed on insects in the wild thus will be replaced with dried mealworms. Pileated Woodpeckers spend most of their time feeding on suet cake, so get the suet feeder prepared.

With Pileated Woodpeckers absolutely willing to come to feeders you only need to make your particular group of bird feeders easy to access for such a large backyard woodpecker.

Best way to attract Pileated Woodpeckers to bird feeders is still alongside a group of bird feeders made for peanuts or suet - only you'd need to up your game on suet cake bird feeders.

Pileated Woodpeckers will spend most of their time here, thus a regular suet cake bird feeder is unlikely to be accessible, due to its size and how it must be hung.

I will prioritize a suet cake bird feeder with a tail prop to assist all woodpeckers, and not just the far larger Pileated Woodpecker.

Rather than allowing a suet feeder to freely hang off a branch bracket, you'd might want to screw this suet feeder with a featured tail prop on a wooden post.

Make your suet cake filled with mealworms, peanuts or fruits more appealing with it smothered in peanut butter if at all possible.

Pileated Woodpeckers come to most bird feeders that continue to be accessible, with suspended peanut, suet - along with peanut butter smeared on bird feed - with open top platform bird feeders recommended.

Think about stabilizing all bird feeders intended for Pileated Woodpeckers by mounting them or pushing a suet cake feeder for example, flush against the tree trunk.

Pileated Woodies readily come to feeders

Despite most of us unable to attract Pileated Woodpeckers to bird feeders due to small, too compact bird feeders; Pileaters will come to bird feeders providing they allow this enormous woodpecker to perch.

Pileaters take up a lot of space directly on feeders and therefore will demand distance between them and the other bird feeders usually grouped close together.

Compare a Pileated Woodpecker to any bird feeder - particularly their favorite suet feeder - with any bird feeder seen to be only miniscule in comparison.

And that is why you may be under the impression Pileated Woodpeckers don't come to feeders.

Pileaters are a common bird feeder bird and as most bird feeders for suet, nuts, seeds and others are small in size - they aren't quite made for super large birds in mind. And that is a plus when it comes to keeping occasional pigeons and crows off bird feeders.

With that, Pileated Woodpeckers tend to scoop their tails under a bird feeder as they cling on in a near upside down position.

No bird feeder is likely to accommodate a Pileater unless you personally go out of your way to make it accessible - like mounting bird feeders to stabilize - as oppose to just allowing any bird feeder to hang like its intended for small songbirds only.

What a Pileated Woodpeckers primarily eat in bird feeders are dried mealworms and nuts, thus dried mealworms must be made accessible with peanut hearts - which are peanuts out of their shells - that are provided in an easy reach mesh wire feeder.

Suet feeders are also popular with Pileaters of which I will get into more details next...

Will come to suet feeders

Make no mistake about it, of all kinds of bird feeders you can attract Pileated Woodpeckers too, it will be an accessible suet feeder that will see Pileaters attempt to use if made available in your yard.

Pileated Woodpeckers will primarily spend most of their time on feeders for suet, with other bird feeders often ignored for many reasons.

Attracting Pileated Woodpeckers to an available suet bird feeder is one thing, making it accessible to this giant woodpecker is a whole different ball game.

In fact, you may need to go out of your way to make suet bird feeders accessible to Pileaters; like mounting it on a wooden post as oppose to just letting it freely hang off a tree branch, or bird feeding station pole bracket.

With an insect or nut-filled suet, along with a fruit based suet to provide for Pileated Woodpeckers - at least you'll be sure to get the right kind of suet 100% correct.

Regular suet cake feeders currently in your possession can still be used, if only you mount a plank of wood to stabilize the cage when its hung off a branch or pole; or you could mount this plank of wood with the suet feeder attached, to a wooden post.

Additional length of wood will tail off on the bottom end to then be used as a kind of homemade tail prop for Pileated Woodpeckers, to assist them as they feed.

Assisted with tail prop to stabilize

Continuing on the theme of prioritizing accessible suet bird feeders made easy to access for Pileated Woodpeckers, one feature that will make it easy on Pileaters is indeed a tail prop.

What is a tail prop on a suet feeder then, well, a tail prop is just a length of wood of which, a suet cake bird feeder in particular is mounted to this wooden plank.

Often you can install any old suet cake feeder to a length of wood to provide your own tail prop, or you could install the suet cake bird feeder directly on a wooden post; or any wooden cladding to assist Pileated Woodpeckers who are attracted to suet feeders.

What is a better option than an homemade tail prop are indeed suet cake bird feeders with a tail prop you can buy - saving your time and too much money.

Most wild birds won't need to utilize this tail prop but I assure you it will be used by Pileated Woodpeckers and many other woodpeckers who come to feeders in your yard, like Red-bellied to Red-headed Woodpeckers.

The best suet feeders for woodpeckers in mind are those with a pre-installed tail prop, with the suet cage integrated in such a way, woodpeckers can feed on the suet cake accessible on both sides of the tail prop.

One-sided suet feeders with a tail prop would ideally be hung off a tree limb with the suet cage pressed firmly on the tree trunk. Do so with absolutely no birdhouse hanging off a close by tree limb, where you could end up creating conflict - which can only lead to adults abandoning their young.

Suspend this now much heavier suet feeder with a featured tail prop in a way its super steady, yet there's an option to screw it onto any wooden post or cladding.

Confined to open feeders only

Best way you can attract Pileated Woodpeckers to your yard, is making super visible suet cake bird feeders open to all size wild birds.

Pileaters are sure to spot it as they spend time in near by trees - or in the brief time they fly over your property - as they look for new foraging grounds, thus this well lit up suet bird feeder will be like a beacon to woodpeckers.

How to attract woodpeckers to feeders is with a suet feeder taking priority over all other bird feeders available.

Like I mentioned thus far, the suet feeder with a tail prop can be hung in a lit up area against any wooden cladding on the house or backyard structures, or it could be simply suspended among all other feeders on the bird feeder pole [as pictured on the very top].

Bear in mind Pileated Woodpeckers are an enormous common backyard bird, thus space must be made available if you want them to feed without too many restrictions.

Utilize an open bird feeder like a suet cake with a tail prop to assist Pileated Woodpeckers, to feed when in a suspended or mounted position.

Whereas a Pileated Woodpeckers favorite bird feed like fruits, peanuts - in and out of their shells - with dried or live mealworms put on top of a platform bird feeder, is sure the best way to feed dried mealworms to all birds.

Pileated Woodpeckers will then be seen perched around the rim on this open top platform - where they easily feed out of this kind of feeder - that is made accessible to all common backyard birds, both small and large.

Never assume your regular small compact suet or nut feeders widely available in-store or online, can be used for a woodpecker too large for most common bird feeders.

Fed on mostly insects suet

Absolutely can you feed dried or live mealworms to Pileated Woodpeckers in an open platform or tray, yet peanuts alongside fruits can be offered with mealworms.

But make no mistake about it, Pileated Woodpeckers will spend 99% of their time at accessible only suet bird feeders.

With that in mind, I'd advise you to only supply mealworm-filled suet cakes available in the suet bird feeder with tail prop.

Pileated Woodpeckers primarily eat insects in the wild thus can eat dried mealworms as a close replacement of real wild bird feed. Pileaters will peck mealworms out of suet cakes, all while eating fatty suet at the same time as an energy substitute.

The best suet you can provide specifically for Pileated Woodpeckers is mealworm-filled suet, with an option for some suet cakes that are made with actual real insects.

Pileated Woodpeckers are sure to come to your feeders but only when the correct bird feed filled suet is available among them.

What else will happen is you'll see Pileated Woodpeckers clumsily attempt to perch on a near upside down position, to feed at suspended peanut bird feeders.

Summary

Pileated Woodpeckers do come to bird feeders in an attempt to feed on available peanuts or suet commonly made available in your yard.

Despite the correct wild bird feed provided for Pileaters, these woodpeckers may not be able to feed due to the fact commonly available bird feeders aren't made to accommodate an enormous wild bird like Pileated Woodpeckers.

Get the bird feeders organized in such a way it can allow Pileated Woodpeckers to feed, then success with Pileaters will come your way.

With Pileated Woodpeckers being a common bird feeder bird - its imperative you do provide accessible bird feeders - that are filled with the correct bird feed.

Pileaters mostly eat insects up in trees when in the wild thus this can be replaced with dried mealworms in an open top platform bird feeder.

While at the same time you'd want to provide peanuts along with some fruits.

Pileated Woodpeckers are sure to spend most of their time at your suet cake bird feeder, of which won't be easy to access if its freely hung off a branch or pole.

Of which, you'd need to mount it or buy it with an attached tail prop which a Pileated Woodpecker - and with some other woodpeckers - will use it as a kind of prop up assisted board, to help woodpeckers balance with their tails as they feed.

Share this article: