9 Woodpeckers in Florida - Backyard Birds with Images

Florida has a mostly tropical and subtropical climate, which allows for a huge variety of diverse wildlife to flourish throughout the state. Due to this warm and humid climate, Florida hosts a number of bird species that are endemic.

Some avian species may migrate to Florida to breed and reside there during the winter. Others inhabit Florida all year round. Woodpeckers are one species of bird that Florida is home to, all of which share some similarities regarding their morphology and behavior.

This article talks about the 9 different species of woodpecker that live in Florida. Although, the 9th species of woodpecker on this list is now thought to be extinct.

Table Of Contents

List of Woodpeckers in Florida
Woodpeckers in South East Florida
FAQ Woodpeckers in Florida

List of Woodpeckers in Florida

The plumages of the woodpeckers listed in this article are all varying patterns of black and white feathers, which helps conceal them from predators through disruptive coloration. Additionally, they all also adorn red feathers, whether it is their entire head like the redheaded woodpecker or a small, subtle patch like the red-cockaded woodpecker.

As their name suggests, woodpecker species are known for using their strong, straight bills to drill holes into trees and wood, extracting insects that make up the majority of the diet. whilst this is the case for most of the species on this list, the yellow-bellied sapsucker bores into healthy trees, to fuel their diet of primary sap.

Pileated Woodpecker

Scientific Name: Dryocopus pileatus

Pileated woodpeckers are a large species reaching nearly 20 inches in length. These birds are mainly black and have white stripes along their face and neck with white patches on the underside of their wings.

They have a distinct, triangular crest that is bright red in color. Male pileated woodpeckers have an additional red strip along their cheeks. Their bill is long and chisel-like, perfect for drilling distinctive rectangular-shaped holes into trees. They feed on carpet ants and other insects that live under the dead wood. They use their long, barbed tongue to extract their prey.

Pileated woodpeckers live in forests that have plenty of dead but standing trees. They drill large holes in trees in which they nest. Many other birds use abandoned and old pileated woodpecker holes to nest in. They are distributed from Canada down to Florida.

Red Bellied Woodpecker

Scientific Name: Melanerpes carolinus

From the front, red-bellied woodpeckers appear plain and pale due to their light grey face and belly. Their back, wings, and tail are strongly barred with contrasting black and white feathers. Males have a red cap whilst it is just the nape in females that are red.

They have a straight, black beak which they use to chisel into the bark of trees. They then use their long tongue to extract insects from their freshly drilled holes. As well as insects, they also consume nuts, seeds, and fruits.

Red-bellied woodpeckers excavate cavities in dead trees which is where they will nest. This species resides in forests and woodlands across the Eastern United States. They occupy Florida all year round.

Northern Flicker

Scientific Name: Colaptes aratus

Northern flickers have an overall brown plumage that is richly dabbled with black spots and bars. They have a U-shaped black patch on their upper breast. Northern flickers show some color variation depending on their geographical location.

Eastern Northern flickers have a red nape, black whisker patches, and yellow shafts on the tail and flight feathers. However, Western Northern flickers lack the red nape, have red whisker patches instead of black, and their tail and flight feathers have red shafts instead of yellow.

Unlike most woodpeckers, these species are ground feeders, using their long bills to drill holes into the soil. They consume mainly insects, favoring ants and beetles. They inhabit open woodland with lots of soil and plant matter to forage in. Northern flickers are widespread in North America, including Florida where they reside year-round.

Hairy Woodpecker

Scientific Name: Picoide svillosus

Hairy woodpeckers have contrasting black and white plumage. Their bellies are white whilst their back and wings are black and adorned with white checkerboard-like patterns. They have a black and white striped head and white strip that runs down the middle of their back.

Male hairy woodpeckers also have a bright red patch on the back of their head. They use their strong, straight bills to drill holes into tree bark and consume the insects that live there. Their prey includes wood-boring beetles and their larvae as well as ants.

These birds frequent mature woodlands with large trees. They are found in most of North America and can be seen year-round in Florida.

Downy Woodpecker

Scientific Name: Dryobates pubescens

Downy woodpeckers look very similar to hairy woodpeckers. Their underparts are white, and they have black and white checkerboard patterns wings, and back. Males also boast a vibrant red patch on the back of their heads. However, downy woodpeckers are much smaller than their hairy cousins and have noticeably smaller bills.

They feast on insects that live inside the wood which they excavate with their pointed bill. They also consume plant material and are frequent visitors to bird feeders, consuming suet and sunflower seeds. They live in open woodlands across most of the United States, including Florida. They are the smallest woodpecker species in North America, averaging around 6 inches in length.

Woodpeckers in South East Florida

Red-Cockaded Woodpecker

Scientific Name: Picoides borealis

Despite their name, the red-cockaded woodpecker has mainly black and white streaked plumage. They have a black cap and large, white cheeks. Males have a tiny red streak on either side of their black cap, although it is rarely visible.

Like most woodpecker species, they bore holes into trees to get at the arthropod prey that lies beneath the bark. Males forage towards the tops of the trees whilst females forage below the lowest branches. They live in pine forest habitats and are endemic to the Southeastern United States. Their populations are rapidly declining due to habitat loss.

Migrating Woodpecker in Florida

Redheaded Woodpecker

Scientific Name: Melanerpes erythrocephalus

True to its name, this bird has an entirely crimson-colored head. They have a pure white body with wings that are half jet black and half snow white. This plumage makes for a very striking appearance.

Unlike most woodpeckers, they are flycatchers, plucking insects from the air. They are omnivores and around two-thirds of their diet is plant matter such as fruits and seeds, whilst the remainder is arthropods. They are known to store food in crevices in trees.

Red-headed woodpeckers inhabit deciduous, open woodlands. These birds inhabit Canada and the United States but migrate South, including to Florida, to breed and winter.

Yellow Bellied Sapsucker

Scientific Name: Sphyrapicus varius

Yellow-bellied sapsuckers are predominantly black and white patterned. They have bold black and white stripes across their face and a white stripe on either wing. Both males and females have bright red foreheads and the males also have bright red throats.

Their underparts have a yellow tint to them, hence their name. also indicated by their name, these birds rely on sap for their main food source. They use their strong, straight bills to drill holes into the trees and suck out the sap from within. In addition to sap, they consume insects that they glean from under the bark.

Unlike most woodpeckers that require dead trees, sapsuckers live in woodlands and forests that have plenty of quickly regenerating trees which are ideal for sap wells. They breed in Southern and Central America and migrate South, including to Florida, for the winter.

Rare Woodpeckers in Florida

Ivory Billed Woodpecker

Scientific Name: Campephilus principalis

The ivory-billed woodpecker is classed as critically endangered, although many believe it has already become extinct. They are the third largest woodpecker in the world, reaching up to 20 inches in length. This bird has a long neck and a thick, straight bill.

The plumage is mainly black with two white stripes running down their neck and white panels on their upper wings. Males have a bright red crest whereas females have a black crest. Their diet consists primarily of large beetle larvae which they excavate from dead trees and fallen logs, using their large bills to drill deep holes.

Typically living in forests with large trees and forage in areas with dead trees that have been killed by natural disasters such as flooding and fires. They are native to South America and Cuba. The last sighting of an ivory-billed woodpecker was in Cuba in the 1980s. They have a year-round range in Florida, although one has not been seen for decades.

FAQ Woodpeckers in Florida

What is the Most Common Woodpecker in Florida?

The red-bellied woodpecker is the most common woodpecker in Florida. In fact, it is also one of Florida’s most common bird species. They are the most widespread of all the woodpecker species in Florida and can be found just about anywhere in the state that has trees. These birds inhabit virtually all of the forests, woodlands, and wooded suburbs across Florida.

They live in and forage on a number of tree species such as oak, pine, and maple. They may also live in wetland habitats. Red-bellied woodpeckers consume primarily insects but also plant matter including fruits, seeds, and nuts. This species is easily identified by its red patches, being a red cap in males and a red nape in females.

You are most likely to see them hopping along the trunks and branches of trees, excavating insects from the bark to consume. They also have a distinguishable, undulating flight pattern. They can produce a variety of calls, but their most common is a rolling “churr” sound. You can spot red-bellied woodpeckers in Florida throughout the whole.

How Big is the Biggest Woodpecker in Florida?

Reaching a length of just over 20 inches, a wingspan of over 30 inches, and weighing 20 ounces, the ivory-billed woodpecker should take the crown as the biggest woodpecker in Florida and also North America. Unfortunately, this species is now likely extinct. Their demise is a result of habitat loss since they depend heavily on cypress and dead pine trees to nest in and forage on.

The pileated woodpecker is the largest woodpecker in Florida. They also boast the title of the largest woodpecker species in North America. They measure almost 20 inches in length, have a wingspan of nearly 30 inches, and weigh over 12 ounces. These birds are easily identifiable due to their striking, triangular, red crest.

They live in deciduous and mixed deciduous-coniferous woodlands or drowned forests with lots of dead trees. They use their long, thick bills to bore holes into dead trees and logs, and extract insects from them. You will know if a pleated woodpecker has visited a tree due to the characteristic, rectangular-shaped holes they leave behind.

Wood Peckers also visit backyard feeders in search of suet or nut butter. As well as being the largest woodpecker species in Florida, the pileated woodpecker is also the loudest. They are a rather vocal species, producing a series of high-pitched and clear piping calls which last a few seconds.

They also create loud and rhythmic hammering when boring holes into tree bark. These birds can be found all over the state of Florida, throughout the whole year.

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