How to Recognize Woodpeckers by Their Drumming Sounds

Woodpecker drumming may not be as immediately distinctive as birdsong—but by carefully listening to speed, duration, and rhythm you can still tell many species apart. Here are some tips. Downy Woodpeckers have short, relatively slow drums. Video by Seth Honig / Macaulay Library. One of the first indications of springtime in North America is the rat-a-tat sound of woodpeckers drumming. Even on mild, sunny days in late winter you may hear them trying out their drumming. Compared with the melody and tone of birdsong, drumming isn’t quite as recognizable—but if you listen closely you can still tell some woodpeckers apart from others. Woodpeckers can drum all year round, but there’s a noticeable uptick during the spring months—roughly March through June depending on your latitude. In woodpeckers, drumming serves the same function as song does for songbirds: it advertises a bird’s (or a pair’s) territory and helps attract mates. In most woodpecker species, both males and females drum. Ho ... Read full article.