Written by: Justin Roberts
Posted on: July 3, 2026
The Woodpecker Nest Cavity: How Excavation Actually Works
Every other species either uses an existing cavity, like a bluebird, or weaves a hanging nest, like an oriole. Woodpeckers do neither — they carve their own nesting chamber directly out of solid wood, from scratch, nearly every single year. Choosing a Site Dead or…
Written by: Justin Roberts
Posted on: July 3, 2026
Woodpecker Eggs: Color, Clutch Size & the Male’s Night Shift
Woodpecker eggs are about as visually simple as eggs get — plain white, with no markings at all — but the incubation routine behind them includes a detail that sets this family apart from almost every other species. Egg Color Woodpecker eggs are glossy white…
Written by: Justin Roberts
Posted on: July 3, 2026
Old Woodpecker Cavities: Why They Matter to the Whole Neighborhood
A woodpecker typically uses a freshly excavated cavity for only one or two nesting seasons before moving on and digging a new one elsewhere. What happens to that abandoned cavity is one of the more quietly important dynamics in the entire backyard bird world. Secondary…
Written by: Justin Roberts
Posted on: July 3, 2026
Baby Woodpeckers: From Hatching to Fledging
Woodpecker chicks develop inside one of the most protected nest environments in the backyard bird world — a fully enclosed wood cavity — and that protection comes with a noticeably longer nestling period than most similarly sized songbirds. At Hatching Newly hatched woodpeckers are altricial:…