Answer to Question #31796 in Geography for Aakash

Question

What does woodpeckers eat?

Answer 1

Woodpeckers are very hearty eaters whose diet varies depending on the season.& They are known to eat several different things and the exact foods preferred by each species vary however some of the most popular food sources include:

Insects such as wood boring beetles, carpenter ants, termites, grub
Tree sap or insects trapped within or attracted to the sap
Nuts
Seeds
Fruits
Berries such as blueberries, mulberries, elderberries, strawberries, holly.

Woodpeckers are very adaptive creatures and will change their diets according to what food sources are most abundant.& Sap is a popular food source in the spring when few other foods are available while insects are a primary meal during sprin and summer months.& Feeding on insects provides the birds with a high level of protein which is great during breeding and when fed to growing hatchlings.& Nuts, fruits, and seeds are more popular during the winter months as they are plentiful from natural harvesting.& Some species of woodpeckers will even store up food supplies when scarce.

Woodpeckers do not only feast upon whatever they happen to find in trees or in the wild, they have also been known to visit backyards year round.& The most popular foods found in many backyard feeders or consumed within backyards include:

Oranges
Apples
Peanut butter
Meal worms
Nectar
Sunflower seeds
Suet
Fruit blends
Nut blends
Acorns
Grapes
Cherries
Bramble
Pine seeds
Cracked corn
Raisins
Dogwood