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With an area of over 82,277 square miles made up largely of huge plains, Kansas ’ central placement and meek climate allows for a wide kind of wildlife to thrive in the country of Kansas. This includes many unlike species of birds, but in this article we ’ re going to learn about each one of these 8 species of woodpeckers in Kansas .
I ’ ll go over those species and talk about where and when they can be seen in Kansas. We ’ ll besides hit on a few playfulness facts about woodpeckers and have a mental picture of each species to help you identify them.
Woodpeckers in Kansas
The 8 species of woodpeckers in Kansas are the Red-bellied Woodpecker, Red-headed Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Pileated Woodpecker.
1. Red-bellied Woodpecker
Length: 9.4 in
Weight: 2.0-3.2 oz
Wingspan: 13.0 -16.5 in
Red-bellied Woodpeckers feature peachy-red caps and napes with black and white striped backs. These woodpeckers are normally throughout the submit of Kansas in woodlands and backyards year-round, perched on the main branches and trunks of trees .
They ’ rhenium known for venturing from the forest to visit backyard dame feeders a well. Use suet blocks during winter, peanuts, and sometimes sunflower seeds to attract them. abruptly trees are besides attractive to them for the insects inside .
One of the best ways of finding these birds is to learn their loudly, rolling call. They ’ rhenium identical active agent callers in the spring and summer, so heed close during those seasons .
audio beginning : audubon.org
2. Red-headed Woodpecker
Length: 7.5-9.1 in
Weight: 2.0-3.2 oz
Wingspan: 16.5 in
Red-headed Woodpeckers are found year round throughout East Kansas, but alone during the breed season in the westerly half of the express. Adults have bright red heads, snow bleached bodies, and black and white wings making them easily identifiable. Juveniles are less colored, they ’ re feather is about all grey-brown, with white patches on their wings .
These woodpeckers tend to occupy assailable woods with clear under-stories, ache savanna, and swamps. Due to a decrease of their habitats, their population is declining .
They are alone compared to other woodpeckers. Red-headed Woodpeckers hunt for insects in the vent in addition to drilling into wood. They besides store excess food like nuts and seeds away in their tree crevices .
3. Downy Woodpecker
Length: 5.5-6.7 in
Weight: 0.7-1.0 oz
Wingspan: 9.8-11.8 in
Downy Woodpeckers are on the smaller end of woodpeckers. Their size ranges from between a sparrow and a robin. Their beaks besides appear shorter than most other woodpeckers .
Downy Woodpeckers are found year-round in Kansas, in open woodlands and forests. They tend to favor deciduous trees, but they can besides be spotted in backyard, parks, and other residential areas. They ’ ra very active during spring and summer, hammering into trees and making their characteristic high pitched calls .
During the winter, they frequently join desegregate species flocks. This demeanor allows them to join forces with other little birds for increased protective covering and better chances of finding food .
audio reservoir : audubon.org
4. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Length: 7.1-8.7 in
Weight: 1.5-1.9 oz
Wingspan: 13.4-15.8 in
A non-breeding winter populations of chicken Sapsuckers are found in Kansas, then they migrate north to their breeding grounds each year in the warm months. They ’ re frequently found in young deciduous forests up to around 6,500 feet in elevation. In winter they spend time in open forests .
They have bold red markings on their foreheads and underneath their bills. Their undersides are largely white and sometimes yellow, the rest of their feather is black and white .
thoroughly indicators of nearby chicken Sapsuckers are the rows of sap-wells found in trees. These shoal, neatly organized holes are put there by these woodpeckers so that they can drink the blackjack and any insects that leak out with it .
5. Hairy Woodpecker
Length: 7.1-10.2 in
Weight: 1.4-3.4 oz
Wingspan: 13.0-16.1 in
Hairy Woodpeckers are found class round in a lot of Kansas, but be careful you don ’ t confuse it for the Downy Woodpecker. Hairy Woodpeckers are larger and with longer bills. They have a squarish pass, black and white feather, and a big white while that runs down their backsides .
They ’ re much found on the trunks and main branches of trees in mature forests. They besides visit backyard bird feeders stocked with suet or sunflowers seeds. Listen for their distinct neigh, “ peek ” call, or for their drum on drums while they forage .
audio source : audubon.org
6. Northern Flicker
Length: 11.0-12.2 in
Weight: 3.9-5.6 oz
Wingspan: 16.5-20.1 in
Northern Flickers stand apart from many of the flannel and black biased woodpeckers we ’ ve discussed. They ’ re fairly large, with a argent brown appearance and bright markings, red in the west and yellow in the west. Their undersides are speckled with dots and they have crescents and barring throughout the rest of their feather. They ’ rhenium among the most colorful birds in North America .
besides unlike other woodpeckers, Northern Flickers are frequently spotted on the ground digging for beetles and ants, their chief food source. They reside year-round in Kansas, in open woods and the edges of forests. When they aren ’ deoxythymidine monophosphate on the ground, they ’ re frequently perched on branches. Listen for their alarming yells and brassy calls .
7. Pileated Woodpecker
Length: 15.8-19.3 in
Weight: 8.8-12.3 oz
Wingspan: 26.0-29.5 in
Pileated Woodpeckers are big, crow-sized birds with long beaks and red, triangular crests on their heads. Their bodies are largely black, with white stripes on their heads and whiten feathers on the undersides of their wings .
Find these woodpeckers year round in Southeast Kansas entirely, they aren ’ t as normally seen as some of the other woodpeckers in this list. Look for them in mature forests that have plenty of dead trees and downed wood. besides keep an eye out for excavations and signature rectangular holes in soft, icky wood for a sign that these birds are nearby .
Listen for their loudly cram and cutting, whinny-like calls for a good gamble at spotting them. Keeping suet in your backyard bird feeder is another way to attract them .
8. Ladder-backed Woodpecker
Length : 6.3-7.1 in
Weight : 0.7-1.7 oz
Wingspan : 13.0 in
Look for Ladder-backed Woodpeckers from late January to March when they are pairing up for breeding and more active. Ladder-backed Woodpeckers are found only in the Southwestern corner of Kansas. They aren ’ t normally seen at suet feeders but they will promptly eat mealworms, peanut butter, and black oil sunflower seeds when offered .
They normally nest in all in trees, so if you want to attract a pair leave those dead trees in your yard alone. Ladder-backed Woodpeckers were once known as “ Cactus Woodpeckers ” because they much prefer living in deserts and spine forests where cactus are introduce.
Read more : The 9 Woodpeckers of Wisconsin (Pictures)
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How to attract woodpeckers
For many of us, attracting woodpeckers to our feeders or yards is something we love. They are quite as normally seen as chickadees, titmouse, or cardinals and add a morsel of excitement. however they are harder to spot and besides harder to attract. here are some tips on how to attract woodpeckers to your yard .
- Offer food they like – Many types of woodpeckers are known for visiting bird feeders. Consider putting up a suet feeder as well as offering black sunflower seed. Be sure to get a suet feeder with a tail prop area that will help attract larger woodpeckers.
- Leave dead trees alone – Woodpeckers love dead and dying trees that are easy to bore holes in and have plenty of insect larvae for them to eat.
- Put up nest boxes – Many species of woodpeckers will use nest boxes. Pileated woodpeckers have a history of using nesting boxes from May to July.
- Plant native fruit bearing plants and trees – Woodpeckers may sometimes relish fruits and berries such as dogwood, serviceberry, tupelo, mountain ash, strawberry, cherry, grapes, bayberry, holly, blueberries, apples, mulberry, brambles, and elderberries.
- Don’t forget the water – Woodpeckers will use bird baths like any other birds so have a water source available, preferably with a water mover or solar fountain to help attract them. Solar fountains with batteries tend to work the best so that the fountain doesn’t stop every time the sun goes behind a cloud.
For even more great tips, check this article on how to attract woodpeckers to your cubic yard
I am broadly interested in how human activities influence the ability of wildlife to persist in the modified environments that we create.
Specifically, my research investigates how the configuration and composition of landscapes influence the movement and population dynamics of forest birds. Both natural and human-derived fragmenting of habitat can influence where birds settle, how they access the resources they need to survive and reproduce, and these factors in turn affect population demographics. Most recently, I have been studying the ability of individuals to move through and utilize forested areas which have been modified through timber harvest as they seek out resources for the breeding and postfledging phases. As well I am working in collaboration with Parks Canada scientists to examine in the influence of high density moose populations on forest bird communities in Gros Morne National Park. Many of my projects are conducted in collaboration or consultation with representatives of industry and government agencies, seeking to improve the management and sustainability of natural resource extraction.