Indiana, with its diverse landscapes ranging from the expansive Hoosier National Forest to countless urban parks and backyard trees, provides a welcoming home to a fascinating array of avian life.
Among the most distinctive and readily identifiable birds are the woodpeckers – a family of specialized foragers known for their drumming calls, strong bills, and unique adaptations for extracting insects from wood.
For birdwatchers and nature enthusiasts across the Hoosier State, recognizing the various woodpecker species adds a rich layer to their appreciation of local wildlife.
Woodpeckers of Indiana
While there are over 200 woodpecker species globally, Indiana is fortunate to host seven distinct types. These range from the tiny Downy Woodpecker, a common backyard visitor, to the impressive Pileated Woodpecker, a forest giant. Understanding their unique features, habitats, and behaviors is key to successful identification.
1. Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens)
Overview: The Downy Woodpecker is Indiana's smallest and arguably most common woodpecker. Its diminutive size and familiarity with human habitats make it a frequent sight at backyard feeders, where it often enjoys suet. Despite its small stature, it's a persistent forager.
Identification:
- Size & Shape: Roughly sparrow-sized (around 6-7 inches long) with a relatively short, stubby bill.
- Color Pattern: Black and white plumage. It has a white back stripe, white underparts, and black wings with white barring. The head is striped black and white. Males have a small red patch on the back of their heads, while females lack this patch.
- Behavior: Very acrobatic and active, often clinging to slender branches and even cattails. Their drumming is a rapid, soft tattoo. They readily visit suet and seed feeders.
- Habitat: Extremely adaptable, found in nearly all wooded habitats, including deciduous and mixed forests, orchards, suburban parks, and residential areas.
- Status in Indiana: Year-round resident.
2. Hairy Woodpecker (Leuconotopicus villosus)
Overview: The Hairy Woodpecker is remarkably similar in appearance to the Downy Woodpecker, leading to frequent misidentification. However, a closer look reveals key differences in size and bill structure that set them apart.
Identification:
- Size & Shape: Noticeably larger than the Downy, about robin-sized (around 8-10 inches long). Its most distinguishing feature is its bill, which is significantly longer and stouter, nearly as long as its head.
- Color Pattern: Identical black and white pattern to the Downy: white back stripe, white underparts, and black wings with white barring. Males also have a red patch on the back of their heads.
- Behavior: Due to its larger bill, the Hairy Woodpecker can access larger insects and often excavates deeper into wood. Its drumming is louder and more powerful than the Downy's, often described as a clear, rapid roll.
- Habitat: Prefers more mature forests, woodlands, and larger trees, though it can also be found in woodlots, parks, and occasionally at backyard feeders, especially for suet.
- Status in Indiana: Year-round resident.
3. Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus)
Overview: Despite its name, the "red belly" on this woodpecker is often hard to see, appearing as a faint reddish wash on the lower belly. Its vibrant red cap and distinctive ladder-back pattern are much more prominent identification features.
Identification:
- Size & Shape: Medium-sized woodpecker (around 9-10 inches long) with a relatively short tail and a straight bill.
- Color Pattern: Distinctive black and white "ladder-back" pattern on its back and wings. The head is primarily red in males (extending from the forehead over the crown and nape) and red only on the nape and forehead in females. The underside is grayish-white, with the elusive reddish wash on the belly sometimes visible.
- Behavior: Highly vocal with a rolling "churr" call and a variety of other calls. They often store food in crevices and are frequent visitors to suet and peanut feeders.
- Habitat: Common in open woodlands, mature forests, suburban areas with large trees, and riparian zones.
- Status in Indiana: Year-round resident.
4. Red-headed Woodpecker (Melanerpes erythrocephalus)
Overview: This striking woodpecker is unmistakable with its entirely red head, a feature unique among North American woodpeckers. It's an agile flier and an opportunistic feeder, known for catching insects in flight.
Identification:
- Size & Shape: Medium-sized woodpecker (around 9-10 inches long) with a relatively short tail.
- Color Pattern: Adults have a completely crimson red head and neck, contrasting sharply with a black back, black wings, and a bright white rump and belly. A prominent white patch is visible on the inner primaries when the bird is perched or in flight. Juveniles have a brownish-gray head.
- Behavior: Known for "flycatching" – sallying out from a perch to snatch insects in mid-air. They also store acorns and other nuts in tree crevices for later consumption. Can be quite aggressive toward other birds.
- Habitat: Prefers open woodlands, savannas, orchards, and forest edges with scattered dead trees, often associated with oak and beech forests.
- Status in Indiana: Year-round resident, though their numbers can fluctuate locally.
5. Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus)
Overview: The Northern Flicker is Indiana's most terrestrial woodpecker, often seen foraging on the ground for ants and beetles. Its distinctive undulating flight and flashes of yellow or red make it easy to spot.
Identification:
- Size & Shape: Large woodpecker (around 11-12 inches long) with a relatively long tail and a slightly downcurved bill.
- Color Pattern: Brownish overall with black barring on the back and black spots on the white belly. It has a prominent black crescent on the breast. A key field mark is the flash of color in its wings and tail during flight: yellow in the eastern "Yellow-shafted" form (common in Indiana) and red in the western "Red-shafted" form. Males have a black (Yellow-shafted) or red (Red-shafted) "mustache" stripe (malar stripe).
- Behavior: Often seen hopping on lawns or in open areas, probing for ants. Its flight is strong and undulating, with deep dips. They have a variety of calls, including a loud, ringing "wicka-wicka-wicka" and a persistent, high-pitched "kyeer."
- Habitat: Found in a wide range of open habitats, including woodlands, forest edges, suburbs, parks, and grasslands.
- Status in Indiana: Year-round resident, though some may migrate south from northern regions.
6. Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus)
Overview: The largest woodpecker in Indiana and one of the largest in North America, the Pileated Woodpecker is an impressive sight with its crow-like size and striking red crest. Its deep, resonant drumming can be heard from afar.
Identification:
- Size & Shape: Very large, crow-sized woodpecker (around 16-19 inches long) with a long neck, a long, chisel-like bill, and a prominent triangular red crest.
- Color Pattern: Primarily black plumage with bold white stripes on the face and neck, and white patches on the underside of the wings visible in flight. Males have a red "mustache" stripe (malar stripe) that females lack. The entire crest is red in both sexes.
- Behavior: Creates large, rectangular holes in trees when foraging for carpenter ants and other insects. Its powerful drumming is slow, loud, and accelerating, sounding like a machine gun in the distance. Its call is a loud, ringing "wuk-wuk-wuk-wuk."
- Habitat: Prefers mature deciduous or mixed forests with large, old trees, often near water. They are indicator species for healthy, older woodlands.
- Status in Indiana: Year-round resident, especially in heavily wooded areas like the Hoosier National Forest.
7. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius)
Overview: Unlike other woodpeckers that primarily drill for insects, the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker specializes in drilling "sap wells" – rows of small, neat holes in tree bark – to feed on the flowing sap and any insects attracted to it.
Identification:
- Size & Shape: Medium-sized woodpecker (around 7-8 inches long) with a relatively short, chisel-tipped bill.
- Color Pattern: Intricate black and white barring on its back and wings. It has a distinctive white stripe on its side (flank) and a prominent white stripe behind the eye. Males have a red throat and a red crown, while females have a white throat and sometimes a small red patch on the crown. The "yellow belly" is usually faint and hard to see.
- Behavior: Creates characteristic rows of shallow, rectangular or rounded holes in trees, which often "bleed" sap. They also feed on insects, fruits, and berries. Their drumming is distinctive, a series of uneven taps and pauses, often described as a "stuttering" drum.
- Habitat: Primarily found in deciduous and mixed conifer-hardwood forests, orchards, and wooded residential areas during migration and winter.
- Status in Indiana: Primarily a migratory visitor and winter resident, though a few may breed in northern parts of the state.
Watch this clip of a Northern Flicker calling and drumming to attract females:
Frequently Asked Questions
What Are The Biggest And Smallest Woodpeckers In Indiana?
In Indiana, the smallest woodpecker is the Downy Woodpecker (Dryobates pubescens). It typically measures between 5.5 to 7.1 inches (14 to 18 cm) in length, making it the smallest woodpecker in North America.
Conversely, the largest woodpecker found in Indiana is the Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus). This impressive bird is crow-sized, ranging from 16 to 19 inches (40 to 49 cm) long, and is easily recognizable by its prominent red crest and large, rectangular foraging holes.
Can You Shoot Woodpeckers In Indiana?
No, you can't. Woodpeckers are classified as migratory nongame birds, therefore protected by the Federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act. All of their species in the USA can neither be captured nor shot.
Killing or capturing woodpeckers can negatively affect the ecosystem since their activity benefits other species. For example, the cavities created by the Pileated Woodpecker and the sap wells from the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker are used by other animals for shelter and food, respectively.
If you have a woodpecker problem in your backyard, it’s better to contact wildlife professionals to effectively and legally address this issue.
What Threatens Indiana Woodpeckers?
Forest fires, urbanization, heavy rain, and heat waves are the main threats to woodpeckers. The first two conditions destroy the trees that serve as their habitat, while the latter two endanger young birds in the nest.
Wrapping Up
Indiana's woodpeckers offer a fantastic opportunity for birdwatching throughout the year. From the familiar tap-tap-tapping in your backyard to the resounding thumps from deep within the forest, these seven species each contribute to the rich avian tapestry of the Hoosier State.
Learning to distinguish them by their size, color patterns, calls, and drilling habits will undoubtedly deepen your connection to Indiana's natural world.
What’s your favorite Indiana woodpecker species? We’d love to know all about it!
Find out about other birds in Indiana.
