It is 5 o'clock in the morning; as usual, it is very quiet. Suddenly you hear a very disturbing knocking sound. You are quite sure the sound is not a knock on the door- there is a door bell. You listen keenly and this time, you are quite sure it is not the door. It is not someone trying to rob either; they would not make such loud noise. You gather up some courage to look outside only to find a busy Tuscon woodpecker drumming on the side of your house.



Why do woodpeckers peck?
Woodpeckers peck for different reasons. If the pecking is during the spring season, the woodpecker is trying to attract mates. This type of pecking is known as drumming. The pecking may go on for a few days or even weeks. Normally, Arizona woodpeckers peck on trees. However, your house and utility poles around your house may be perfect alternatives if they are made of wood. Woodpeckers seek shelter on dead trees and wood. When building shelter, the woodpeckers excavate on the wood very quickly. This kind of pecking goes deep into the wood as they want a big shelter. The good news is that this kind of pecking is not common on the side of a house. However, if it happens, the Tuscon woodpecker may peck its way into the house.

Another reason Tuscon woodpeckers peck is looking for food. Tree trunks are good sources of foods such as carpenter's ants, caterpillars and wood boring beetles. The timber on the side of your house can be infested with this kind of insects. When pecking for food, the woodpecker will only make a few pecks. It then uses the tongue and bill to explore the hole made. If successful, the woodpecker hops to a different spot. The bird will do this to follow the tunnel made by the insect. Fortunately, timber used for building houses is treated to discourage boring insects. The Arizona pecker will lose hope after a few pecks. However, if the wood has insect tunnels, the bird will be persistent, and the damage caused by the pecks can be fatal.

How to get rid of woodpeckers
The best way to get rid of a Tuscon woodpecker, or any other bird, is to scare them away. Making noises will scare the pecker away. Using scarecrows and deterrents will work. Woodpeckers are protected by the Migratory Birds Act; using lethal weapons on them might land you in prison.

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