Species guide
Who's at your suet cake?
Suet feeds the bark-and-trunk guild — woodpeckers first, then the nuthatches and chickadees that run the same winter circuits. These seven cover nearly every cake visit in America.
Downy Woodpecker
Dryobates pubescens
The everyday woodpecker at almost every American suet cake. Regular in 49 states.
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Melanerpes carolinus
The loud, ladder-backed boss of eastern suet feeders. Regular in 36 states.
Pileated Woodpecker
Dryocopus pileatus
The crow-sized king that makes a suet cake famous. Regular in 38 states.
Northern Flicker
Colaptes auratus
The ground-feeding woodpecker that shows up when the ants freeze. Regular in 48 states.
White-breasted Nuthatch
Sitta carolinensis
The upside-down regular with a banker's memory. Regular in 47 states.
Chickadees
Poecile atricapillus / P. carolinensis
The quarter-ounce furnaces that need your suet most. Regular in 49 states.
Whoever shows up, the fuel is the same: rendered fat, peanut butter, and a dry mix — 1 : 1 : 3.
Suet cake recipe calculator