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As Tennesseans, we are lucky to be able to observe a wide variety of woodpecker species on our lands.
From the stately Pileated Woodpeckers and Hairy Woodpeckers to the smaller Northern Flickers, Downy Woodpeckers and Red-headed Woodpeckers.
Every corner of Tennessee is bustling with activity from these feathered friends.
In addition, you can also spot a rarer species in certain areas – the Red-Bellied or Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker – as well as one that hasn’t been seen for some time: The Red Cockaded woodpecker.
With their hard pointed beaks and long tongues they expertly pry into trees in search of insects and sap so it’s no wonder why they have become an iconic part of Tennessee’s wildlife heritage!
To help you get started observing them in your area, here is a guide on where and how to find all seven woodpeckers found across this beautiful state!
Table Of Contents
Key Takeaways
- Tennessee is home to a diverse range of woodpecker species, including the Pileated Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Downy Woodpecker, Red-headed Woodpecker, Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker, and the locally extinct Red-Cockaded Woodpecker.
- Conservation efforts in Tennessee focus on restoring habitat for the Red-Cockaded Woodpecker, which is currently locally extinct due to habitat loss.
- While there is still much research needed on woodpecker nesting habits, lifespan, and cavity reuse, efforts can be made to attract woodpeckers by providing suet, sunflower seeds, nesting sites, and planting native fruit-bearing plants.
- Installing a birdbath with a solar-powered fountain can also provide woodpeckers with a reliable water source, contributing to their preservation and maintenance in Tennessee.
Woodpeckers Found in Tennessee
Woodpeckers Abound in Tennessee
Tennessee provides prime habitat for several woodpecker species to flourish year-round, including Pileated, Hairy, Northern Flicker, Downy, and Red-headed Woodpeckers. With its mix of forests, parks, and backyards, Tennessee offers plentiful food sources, nesting sites, and shelter for these colorful birds.
Whether you live in the east, middle, or west regions of the state, keeping an eye and ear out will likely reward you with sightings of acorn-stashing flickers, drumming pileateds, and other woodpeckers making themselves at home.
Pileated Woodpecker
You’re likely to spot the striking black and red Pileated Woodpecker, the largest in North America, as you explore Tennessee’s mature forests. Listen for its distinctive calling—loud, rolling, rising and falling notes repeating in varied rhythms.
Watch for its steady flapping between trees where it excavates rectangular nest holes. Offer suet, seeds, snags, and native fruit plants like dogwood to attract these crow-sized insect and fruit eaters.
Favoring large tracts of deciduous or coniferous trees, they’re a majestic sight in the great Smoky Mountains.
Hairy Woodpecker
Friend, attract that medium Hairy with chunky sesame seeds; they’ll lure him like jungle drums. The Hairy Woodpecker, with a black and white barred back and white underparts, prefers mature forests with dead trees for nesting.
It excavates cavity nests in the dead wood, raising three to six young. Offer sunflower seeds, peanuts, and suet to draw this insect eater to your yard. Though smaller than the Pileated, the Hairy’s habitat diversity across Tennessee forests remains vital to the state’s woodpecker populations.
Northern Flicker
Buddy, unlike some woodpeckers, the Northern Flicker’s gray-brown feathers help it blend into tree trunks as it probes for ants. Flickers forage mainly on the ground for ants and beetles using their long, barbed tongue.
Though they nest in tree cavities, they prefer open woodlands near fields, forests, and parks. The Northern Flicker exhibits unique gray-brown plumage unlike its red-headed and red-bellied cousins. The species is best identified by its wicka-wicka drumming display and migratory patterns across eastern North America.
Downy Woodpecker
The tiny Downy Woodpecker is constantly drilling for bugs in backyards across Tennessee. This smallest woodpecker species sports contrasting black and white plumage. It favors deciduous woodlands and orchards.
Its diet consists of insects, sap, fruits and seeds. Listen for its descending whinny call. This cavity nester utilizes dead branches or man-made nest boxes. It is a common permanent resident throughout its range in Tennessee.
Consider putting up nest boxes to aid nest site availability for these little drillers.
Red-headed Woodpecker
You’ll find the medium-sized, bright red-headed woodpecker in Tennessee’s woodlands thanks to its preference for mature forests. This species excavates nest cavities in dead trees and feeds on insects like ants, beetle larvae, and caterpillars.
While not considered threatened, populations have declined due to habitat loss. Providing standing dead trees and planting oaks will help attract breeding pairs. Red-headed woodpeckers are strikingly patterned with glossy red heads, black and white bodies, and zebra-striped flight feathers, ideal for identification.
Red-Bellied Woodpecker
Seeing Red-Headed Woodpeckers and Yellow-Bellied Sapsuckers in Tennessee is considered a treat. These striking birds grace the state during certain seasons and have unique characteristics that set them apart from other resident species.
Now let’s look more closely at the Red-Headed Woodpecker and Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker woodpecker species found in Tennessee.
Red-Headed Woodpecker
The striking red-headed woodpecker, sporting its iconic crimson crown, actively forages for insects and tree sap amidst Tennessee’s mature woodlands, drawing your gaze up toward the forest canopy.
This medium-sized woodpecker nests in tree cavities, preferring dead trees in open woodlands and savannas. Omnivorous, its diet consists of insects, spiders, seeds, nuts and berries. Due to habitat loss, its numbers have declined.
Within Tennessee, red-headed woodpeckers inhabit open forests and rural areas statewide, except at higher elevations. Their bold black and white body plumage complements the brilliant red head and nape.
Providing standing dead trees and nest boxes can assist in conserving this unique woodpecker.
Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker
You’d paint a vivid picture imagining that busy Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker drilling orderly rows of sap wells into those towering trees. This winter resident taps birches and maples, licking up sap and catching insects drawn to the sticky flows.
With black and white stripes and yellow bellies, these woodpeckers breed up north, migrating down through Appalachian forests to overwinter. Though they damage trees, their sap wells provide food for other creatures too. Sapsuckers nest in tree cavities, contributing habitat for species needing nest sites.
Red-Cockaded Woodpecker
Y’all ain’t seein’ the Red-cockaded Woodpecker in Tennessee no more ’cause they gone locally extinct.
Sadly, these unique birds require mature pine forests to thrive, habitats now scarce ’round these parts.
They specialized in excavatin’ nest cavities in live pine trees, favorin’ older trees infected with red heart fungus that softened the wood. Their social breeding groups would cooperate to defend nest trees from snakes and other critters.
But extensive pine timber harvestin’ destroyed their nestin’ and foragin’ grounds.
And fire suppression let hardwoods overtake the open pine forests they depended on.
Conservation efforts aim to restore patches of longleaf pine savanna habitat that sustains healthy Red-cockaded Woodpecker populations elsewhere.
But habitat loss and fragmentation drove them from our state before we understood how best to protect ’em.
A shame, since they were a key part of Tennessee’s natural heritage.
We can honor them by protectin’ the other special woodpeckers that still dwell here.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
The article sections provided background on the woodpecker species found in Tennessee and details about the Red-Bellied Woodpecker and extinct Red-Cockaded Woodpecker. But questions on nesting habits, lifespan, cavity reuse, and attracting woodpeckers would require additional research and were not covered. This list provides example questions a reader might have after reading the main article content.
Unfortunately, the provided background covered only general woodpecker traits and two species. To fully answer your additional questions on nesting, lifespan, cavity reuse, and attracting woodpeckers would require consulting scientific references and research beyond the scope of this article.
Conclusion
Do you ever wonder what woodpeckers can be found in Tennessee? In this article, we explored seven woodpecker species that call the region home. From the large and loud Pileated Woodpecker to the smaller, more adaptable Red-Bellied Woodpecker, Tennessee has a diverse woodpecker community.
Even the once-endangered Red-Cockaded Woodpecker used to be part of the landscape. To attract woodpeckers to your backyard, provide food, water, and nesting sites.
Plant native fruit-bearing plants and install a birdbath with a solar-powered fountain. With these steps, you can help preserve and maintain the woodpecker population in Tennessee.
