A woodpecker keeps drumming on my house. How do I stop it?

You can stop it, but only once you know why the bird picked your house. A woodpecker hits a wall for one of three reasons: there is food in the wood, it wants a hole to nest or roost in, or the wall makes a good loud noise for signalling to other woodpeckers. Each one has a different fix, which is why years of owls, sprays and tin can go by with nothing changing.

One thing first: in many countries, including across Europe and North America, wild birds and their nests in use are protected by law. Everything below is humane and keeps the bird unharmed.

Food, a home or a drum: how to tell

• Drumming is fast, loud bursts with little damage. It is a signal, like a song, and is most common in spring. The bird wants something that rings: hollow cladding, a gutter, a chimney cap, a metal vent.
• Feeding leaves rows or clusters of small, ragged holes. The bird is after insects living in the wood, such as beetle larvae, carpenter bees or carpenter ants.
• Nesting or roosting leaves one big, neat, round hole, often high up and often going right through into a loft or wall cavity.

Holes that go into the loft point to a home, not a snack. And a hole that size is an open door for other birds, squirrels and insects too.

Why the owls and the tin did not work

Plastic owls, rubber snakes and hawk shapes are what most people try first. They can startle a bird for a few days. Then it notices the owl never moves and goes back to work. Moving the decoy every day buys a little more time, but it is not a fix.

Metal sheeting over the holes has a catch: if the bird was drumming, metal makes an even better drum. Taste sprays do little, because the bird is not eating the wood. And a suet feeder may give it an easier meal elsewhere, but it does nothing about a nest hole or a good drumming spot.

The plan that works

1. Check the wood for insects. Look in and around the holes for tunnels, sawdust or larvae. If something is living in there, the bird will keep coming back until it is dealt with. A pest professional or a builder can tell you how far it goes.
2. Check nothing is inside before you close a hole. Look and listen for a few days. If birds are nesting there, wait until the young have left. See can I remove a bird’s nest for the rules on nests in use.
3. Hang bird netting over the area. Fix it to the eaves so it hangs a hand’s width or so out from the wall, taut, down past the damage. The bird cannot cling to the wall behind it, and it is the most reliable humane option. Use fine mesh and check it often so no bird gets tangled.
4. Repair the holes properly. Fill and paint small ones. Replace soft or hollow boards. Where a hole went into the loft, close it with sturdy mesh behind the repair. Our sealing gaps guide covers materials.
5. Add short-term scare tape if you like. Shiny, moving reflective tape near the spot can help while repairs go in. Expect it to wear off, like the owl.

For pure drumming on a gutter or vent, netting or a cover that dulls the ring usually does it. The bird wants volume, so take the volume away.

The law: rules on woodpeckers and other wild birds differ by country. Before you block a hole a bird may be using, or remove anything from it, check with your local wildlife or nature conservation body. Never use glue, spikes or anything that could injure the bird.

When to get help

Call someone if holes go into the loft or wall cavity, if the wood is soft or full of insects, or if the work is high up. A builder or roofer can make the repair, and a licensed wildlife service can check for nests first. Send them photos of the holes and say when the bird is most active. That tells them whether they are dealing with food, a home or a drum.

Once the reason is gone and the spot is covered, the bird has far less reason to stay. A tree does the same jobs, and it does not fight back with netting.