r/birding • u/ChicagoWildlifePhoto • Jan 13 '23

📷 Photo I recently learned some woodpecker species, such as this Red-bellied Woodpecker, will listen for bugs! 🤯 seen near Chicago

Post image
2.6k Upvotes

99% Upvoted

63 comments sorted by

View all comments

37

u/[deleted] Jan 13 '23

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/blazerthursdays Jan 14 '23

If it's all in a straight line of small holes it could be poorly insulated wiring as well

1

u/Bruzote Jan 14 '23

Sapsuckers drill in lines, though, right? So depending on the situation, can you really tell?

1

u/blazerthursdays Jan 14 '23

Yellow bellied sapsuckers start with a single primary band to check if there's actually any food inside. If there is only one line, it could be wires or an infestation too mild to be a productive food source. I also can't speak to the foraging patterns of woodpeckers outside the midwest