Downy Woodpecker

About the Downy Woodpecker

The smallest North American woodpecker. A year-round visitor to suet feeders across the Front Range.

When to See Them in Colorado

Year-round. The Downy Woodpecker is a permanent resident along the Front Range and one of Colorado's most reliable backyard visitors. You can spot them at your feeders in every season — from the depths of a Denver winter to the peak of summer heat. Their population tends to peak in late fall and winter when resident birds flock together and become even more feeder-dependent.

Birding tip: Morning hours — especially the first two hours after sunrise — are when resident species like the Downy Woodpecker are most active and vocal. Set up your feeders in a spot with good sightlines from a window and you'll rarely miss them.

What They Eat

In Colorado, the Downy Woodpecker's diet reflects what's locally available across seasons. At feeders, they're most drawn to Suet, peanuts, sunflower seed, which mirrors the high-energy foods they seek in the wild. Offering the right food in the right feeder is the single biggest factor in successfully attracting Downy Woodpeckers to your yard.

During nesting season (typically April–July on the Front Range), Downy Woodpeckers also rely heavily on insects as a protein source for their young — so a pesticide-free garden benefits them beyond just the feeder.

How to Attract Them to Your Yard

Creating a welcoming habitat for Downy Woodpeckers in Colorado is straightforward once you understand what they need. Here are the most effective steps our experts recommend:

• Offer black-oil sunflower seed in a tube or hopper feeder — this is the single most effective food for attracting seed-eating species at Colorado elevations.
• Hang a suet cage loaded with a high-fat suet cake. In Colorado's cold winters, suet provides the caloric density birds need to survive freezing overnight temperatures.
• Add a peanut feeder or tray filled with shelled or in-shell peanuts. High in protein and fat, peanuts attract Downy Woodpeckers and a wide variety of other backyard species.
• Provide a clean water source year-round. A heated bird bath is one of the best investments you can make for winter birding along the Front Range — fresh water is often scarcer than food on cold days.
• Plant native shrubs and trees that produce berries or shelter nesting birds. Serviceberry, chokecherry, and native viburnums are excellent choices for Colorado front-range gardens.
• Keep feeders within 3 feet or beyond 30 feet of windows to minimize window strike risk — the most common cause of feeder-bird fatalities.
• Clean feeders regularly. Moldy or wet seed drives birds away and can spread disease through your local bird population. WBU No-Mess blends minimize hulls and spoilage.