Trapping a woodpecker is illegal under federal law in the United States. All native woodpecker species are protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, which makes it unlawful to pursue, capture, kill, or possess any migratory bird by any means or in any manner. Violations can result in significant fines. If a woodpecker is damaging your home, there are effective legal alternatives that address the root cause of the problem.
Why Woodpeckers Are Federally Protected
The Migratory Bird Treaty Act covers every native woodpecker species in the United States, including downy, hairy, pileated, red-bellied, and flicker woodpeckers. The law prohibits not just killing but also trapping, capturing, or even attempting to capture these birds. It also protects their nests and eggs. This applies year-round, with no open season.
Depredation permits do exist through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for situations involving significant property damage, but they are rarely issued for residential woodpecker problems and require documented proof that non-lethal methods have failed. In practice, the permit process is slow and intended as a last resort. For nearly every homeowner, the real solution is deterrence, not removal.
Why a Woodpecker Chose Your House
Before you can stop the damage, it helps to know what the bird is actually doing. Woodpeckers hit houses for three distinct reasons, and each one leaves different evidence behind.
Drumming for territory: This is the rapid-fire hammering you hear in spring, often at dawn. The bird is broadcasting its presence to rivals and potential mates. It picks your house because the siding, gutter, or fascia resonates loudly. The damage from drumming is cosmetic: small, shallow, conical dents in the wood rather than deep holes.
Foraging for insects: If the bird is creating large, ragged holes, it is hunting. Woodpeckers can hear and feel insects beneath siding, and they will drill through wood to reach them. Carpenter bees, in particular, bore into wooden shingles to lay eggs and overwinter, creating exactly the kind of prey woodpeckers target. If your home has an insect problem in the siding, the woodpecker is a symptom, not the cause.
Excavating a nest cavity: Less common on homes, but woodpeckers will occasionally carve a round, deep hole in wood siding to create a nesting site. This typically happens in spring and produces a single clean, circular opening several inches across.
How to Stop the Damage
Physical Barriers
The most reliable long-term fix is blocking access to the damaged area. Hardware cloth (wire mesh), plastic bird netting, or chicken wire stretched over the affected section of siding prevents the bird from reaching the wood. For damage under the eaves, attach netting to the eave line and angle it back to the siding below, fastening it securely. Another approach is to hang the netting about 3 inches away from the siding, stretching it from the eaves down to near ground level. The gap keeps the bird from pecking through the mesh.
Deadening the Sound
If the woodpecker is drumming rather than foraging, it chose that spot because it makes a satisfying noise. You can eliminate the appeal by filling the hollow space behind the wood with expanding foam insulation, which is available in spray cans at any hardware store. Once the siding no longer resonates, the bird loses interest in that surface.
Treating the Insect Problem
When a woodpecker is pulling out insects, the real fix is pest control. Treating the siding with an insecticide or wood preservative kills the prey species and removes the bird’s reason to return. Newly constructed homes are especially vulnerable to this type of damage because insects are more likely to infest wood that hasn’t fully seasoned. This problem is most common in the first two years after construction.
Visual and Auditory Deterrents
Reflective tape, aluminum pie pans, pinwheels, and predator decoys (owl or hawk shapes) can scare woodpeckers away from a specific area. These work best when combined with physical barriers. Used alone, deterrents tend to lose effectiveness over a few weeks as the bird habituates to them. Moving the objects to new positions periodically helps maintain the effect.
Repairing Existing Holes Quickly
Leaving woodpecker holes open invites secondary problems: water infiltration, insect entry, and attraction of additional woodpeckers. Large holes in siding act as visual cues that draw other birds to investigate, so prompt repair matters. Cover the holes with aluminum flashing, tin can tops, or sheet metal, then paint to match your siding. For smaller holes, exterior wood filler works.
If the woodpecker has been using perch sites near the damaged area (a nearby railing, ledge, or branch tip), covering or removing those perches with metal flashing reduces the convenience of the spot and makes it less likely the bird will return after repairs.
When Nothing Seems to Work
Persistent woodpecker damage, especially from a bird foraging on hidden insect colonies, sometimes requires a professional wildlife control operator who is licensed to handle migratory bird issues. These specialists can assess whether a depredation permit application is warranted and can identify insect infestations you may not see. Your state wildlife agency can provide a list of licensed operators in your area.