Because native woodpeckers are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, any deterrent approach has to be humane and non-lethal by definition — the good news is that visual and behavioral deterrents are also generally the most effective option available.
First, Identify the Actual Behavior
Drumming and genuine excavation call for different responses. See our drumming guide to confirm which one you’re dealing with before choosing a deterrent — a deterrent aimed at excavation won’t necessarily stop a bird that’s simply drumming for territorial reasons, and vice versa.
Bird B Gone Woodpecker Deterrent Kit
A visual deterrent kit combining reflective flash tape with a scare balloon, both designed to exploit a woodpecker’s instinctive wariness of sudden movement and reflected light. Hung directly at the problem area, this kind of kit is generally the first line of defense recommended by bird control professionals before escalating to anything more involved.
Why Reflective Tape Works
Reflective tape catches wind and light unpredictably, creating movement and flashes that read as a potential threat to a woodpecker without causing any harm. It’s most effective when installed as soon as activity begins, since an already well-established territorial bird is harder to discourage than one still investigating a new area.
Birds Gotta Go Woodpecker Paint & Stain Additive
A non-toxic, plant-based additive mixed directly into exterior paint or stain, designed to make the treated surface less appealing to woodpeckers without altering its appearance. This is a genuinely different approach from visual deterrents — a preventive, long-lasting measure worth considering proactively on a property with a documented history of repeat woodpecker damage, rather than only after a new problem starts.
Combining Approaches
Bird control professionals generally recommend combining more than one deterrent type rather than relying on a single method — visual deterrents like flash tape alongside a longer-term measure like a treated paint additive covers both the immediate scare-off response and the underlying surface appeal over time.
What to Avoid
- Sticky repellent gels applied directly to roofing or siding, which can damage the material itself
- Any lethal or physically harmful method, which is both inhumane and illegal for a protected species
- Assuming a single deterrent placement will work indefinitely without any follow-up or adjustment
Addressing the Underlying Cause
If excavation (not drumming) is the issue, checking for an active insect infestation in the affected wood is worth doing alongside any deterrent, since a woodpecker excavating a house is very often responding to a genuine pest problem already present in the wood rather than acting without cause.
Want to redirect nesting activity to a more appropriate spot? See our nest box guide for excavation-friendly boxes that give a persistent bird somewhere better to go.
Audio Deterrents
Devices that play recorded distress calls or predator calls are another option, generally best used alongside visual deterrents rather than alone, since a persistent, territorial bird can grow accustomed to a single unchanging stimulus over time regardless of type. Rotating or varying deterrent methods tends to outperform relying on any single approach indefinitely.
Timing Matters
Installing a deterrent as soon as activity is first noticed, rather than waiting to see if it resolves on its own, meaningfully improves the odds of success — a woodpecker that has already invested significant time in a specific location, whether drumming or excavating, is measurably harder to redirect than one still in the early stages of investigating a new spot.
When to Call a Professional
If deterrents haven’t resolved a persistent, significant problem after a reasonable trial period, a wildlife control professional experienced with legally protected species can offer more specialized options, including netting or exclusion barriers suited to a specific structure. This is generally a better route than escalating to anything not explicitly humane and legal.
A Note on Legal Compliance
Every deterrent covered here is non-lethal and legal to use on native woodpecker species. Removing an active nest, or any method that could injure or kill the bird, crosses into federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act violation territory regardless of how much property damage is involved.
Preventing Recurrence
Once a deterrent has successfully resolved an active problem, keeping it in place for a reasonable period afterward — rather than removing it the moment activity stops — helps ensure the bird has genuinely relocated rather than simply paused temporarily. Removing a deterrent too early is one of the most common, and most avoidable, reasons a resolved problem quietly recurs the following season.
Cost and Effort vs. Property Damage
Most deterrent products are inexpensive relative to the cost of repairing repeated siding or trim damage, making early, proactive action considerably more cost-effective than waiting until damage has already accumulated across a full season of activity.
