As spring progresses, you may hear that ever-familiar sound: peck, peck, peck. While fun for bird watchers, woodpeckers can quickly become a nuisance when their beak’s target is the side of your home.

How does a small black and white bird, weighing only about an ounce, drive some homeowners around the bend? The culprit — the downy woodpecker — problematically lives up to its name: These diminutive ...