"James Hardie fiber cement siding is the perfect choice in the battle against woodpeckers. The durable cement compound is hard, and a woodpecker would have a miserable time trying to get through. Hardie siding also contains absolutely zero nutrients for insects, so bugs aren't drawn to it."

We have hardie siding and we have woodpeckers-which we feed and encourage to visit us! We have no siding damage that I have ever seen…but I have not inspected. (it’s been about 5 years since we installed it). The stuff is all but cement. I’d don’t see how they could be interested. And if they were I doubt they could eve scratch the stuff.

They aren't interested in the siding but any bugs that may be hiding behind the siding. But possibly the woodpeckers won't go after any bugs that may make it's way behind siding if they can't peck at the siding.

FYI, yellow bellied sapsuckers (type of woodpecker) purposely damage trees to get sap to flow so the sap attracts bugs.

My 20-year old house has Hardie siding and the woodpeckers have been unable to do anything to it. They do go after some of the cedar battens that cover the joints of my Hardie siding, but the Hardie itself is pristine.

Thanks everybody for chiming in! Any others reading this thread please do keep the comments and insights coming.

@Kim if you could take a peek I'd be most appreciative.

@Izzy Mn Thanks for the additional thoughts. I've got a tree right out front that a woodpecker has recently holed up in. 8/

@kudzu9 That's wonderful to hear!

I should also add that the Hardie material is made of fiber cement and is incredibly dense and hard; it contains nothing that would attract bugs or that they could do anything to. So besides being pretty bulletproof, I suspect woodpeckers don't have any interest in it.

They cannot hurt it, but we occasionally had an especially optimistic gentmeman woodpecker make a ”stab” at it during mating season. Hell of a racket. They give up quickly.