Best Answer: They use their beaks to create large holes for their nests which are 6–18 inches below the opening. These nests are lined only with wood chips and hold 2–8 white eggs laid by the females.It takes only a few days. made a observation of pair of woodpecker, they carved a hole in a Cashew tree within a week (It was near to my office and I use to observe them from the window of my office just about 10 m distance, they were really very cute birds). Different species might take shorter or longer time.