Prevent flickers from destroying house siding - Ask Extension
Flickers continue a pattern of making holes in north side of house. We have added sparkly things that move, but this seems to only deter in the specif...
Knowledgebase
Prevent flickers from destroying house siding #930686
Asked May 05, 2026, 12:41 PM EDT
Flickers continue a pattern of making holes in north side of house. We have added sparkly things that move, but this seems to only deter in the specific areas. We were told by our pest management professional that it’s about shelter, and advised to affix a small birdhouse to our house — haven’t done that yet. Other people told us it’s territorial. We can only keep patching the holes, but we know it’s only a matter of time before the birds get all the way through. Short of adding aluminum siding to the entire north side of house (!), any recommendations?
Lane County Oregon
Expert Response
I'm afraid adding a birdhouse will not abate the flicker's activity - It could certainly help members of others species, but flickers are primary cavity nesters - i.e., they build their own cavities.
Excluding the birds from that portion of your wall is likely the most effective solution over the near- and long-term. Although a challenge to initially install, due to having to attach to the fascia or soffit of your eaves on that side, an "envelope" of tightly-stretched lightweight bird netting can keep the birds from ever being able to reach that wall again. The lightweight netting you see in retail stores for protected tree fruits & berries from birds should be virtually invisible from your view from those windows. See Figure 4 at the very end of the publication I have attached for 2 ideas on how to attach the upper and lower edges - Realize you also need to keep the netting edges tight to the sides so the birds can't fly in that way.
Excluding the birds from that portion of your wall is likely the most effective solution over the near- and long-term. Although a challenge to initially install, due to having to attach to the fascia or soffit of your eaves on that side, an "envelope" of tightly-stretched lightweight bird netting can keep the birds from ever being able to reach that wall again. The lightweight netting you see in retail stores for protected tree fruits & berries from birds should be virtually invisible from your view from those windows. See Figure 4 at the very end of the publication I have attached for 2 ideas on how to attach the upper and lower edges - Realize you also need to keep the netting edges tight to the sides so the birds can't fly in that way.
