New England is generally forested, so woodpeckers abound. Massachusetts is home to seven species, though my own region of the South Coast misses out on both pileated and red-headed woodpeckers (which stinks–both are really cool). The other five varieties, however, are frequent visitors to my backyard: downy, hairy, red-bellied, yellow-bellied sapsucker, and northern flicker. These are all visually striking and active birds with varying levels of comfort around people (downies being the most personable, imo). Red-bellied are newer arrivals from the south, and we have a few year-rounders and nesters as the climate warms. Hairies look like large downies, and they seem to be the shiest, while flickers are stunning exceptions to the usual black-and-white color scheme. Sapsuckers are the rarest visitors, leaving rows of neat sap-holes around pine trunks–I seem to see juveniles most often.

All photos © Derek T. Leuenberger, 2025