If you’ve ever been delighted by the rhythmic tapping of a woodpecker or spotted the flash of red on a Downy or Red-bellied Woodpecker, you know how special these birds are. Luckily, attracting woodpeckers in Wichita is not only possible—it’s easy with the right food and feeders!

As we head into cooler weather, now is a great time to start welcoming woodpecker families to your backyard. These insect-loving birds stay active year-round and will appreciate the nourishment you provide when natural food becomes scarce.

Here are some of the best ways to make your backyard a woodpecker paradise:

🌰 Offer Woodpecker-Approved Foods

Woodpeckers love nuts, suet, and fruits—and you’ll find all their favorites right here at Wild Birds Unlimited Wichita.

✅ No-Mess Plus Blend Bird Seed

This is one of the top blends for woodpeckers! It’s packed with sunflower chips, shelled peanuts, chopped tree nuts, Bark Butter Bits®, cherries, cranberries, and calcium. It’s 100% edible—no shells or mess under your feeder—and can be used in a hopper, tube, or tray feeder.

✅ Woodpecker Seed Cylinder

For a long-lasting, low-maintenance option, try our specially crafted Woodpecker cylinder, made with tree nuts, black oil sunflower, peanuts, and Bark Butter® Bits. Simply slide it onto one of our WBU cylinder feeders and enjoy the show!

🧈 Try Jim’s Birdacious® Bark Butter® Products

No single bird food attracts a greater variety of birds than Bark Butter—and woodpeckers can’t get enough of it.

Spreadable Bark Butter can be smeared directly onto tree bark or a Bark Butter feeder.

Bark Butter Plugs fit perfectly in suet log feeders or can be crumbled into trays.

Bark Butter Bits® are bite-sized, ready for mesh or tray feeders.

This high-fat, high-protein food is perfect for woodpeckers' energetic lifestyles—especially in fall and winter when insects are scarce.

🥜 Use a Mesh Peanut Feeder

Our EcoClean® Mesh Peanut Feeder is another must-have. Woodpeckers (along with nuthatches, titmice, chickadees, and wrens) love clinging to the mesh and pulling out peanut pieces.

Wichita’s Red-bellied Woodpeckers and Downy Woodpeckers are especially drawn to peanuts and suet-based foods, making this feeder a winter essential.

🌳 Provide Natural Shelter

Woodpeckers need trees and snags (dead limbs or trunks) for nesting and roosting. If possible, leave dead limbs in place (as long as they don’t pose a safety risk). You can also offer nesting boxes designed for larger cavity nesters like woodpeckers.

🛍️ Stop by WBU Wichita for Expert Help

Whether you’re just getting started or want to attract even more woodpeckers this season, our team is here to help you pick the right feeders, seed, and setup for your yard. We’re locally owned and operated, and we know what works for Kansas woodpeckers.

📍Wild Birds Unlimited – Wichita
9738 E 21st St N, Wichita, KS 67206