Of the millions of animals that are in the animal kingdom, the woodpecker is one that is known for being a builder. They are deemed the construction workers among the birds. But apart from what we know they do, what else do we know about them? There\u2019s more to them than we think, perhaps only those who have studied these birds closely would know these things about them. So, let\u2019s pause for a little bit, and get to know these birds. As they say, the more we know, the more we can understand. They\u2019re not just birds that peck through the trees, they are more than that. <\/span><\/p>\n

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1. The Most Famous Woodpecker<\/span><\/h2>\n

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As you may have noticed, not many woodpeckers are very popular, in fact hardly any woodpeckers are popular, just one particular woodpecker. Who, you might ask? Woody Woodpecker. Woody\u2019s a cartoon character, created by an artist named Ben \u201cBugs\u201d Hardaway back in 1940. While he may be a very famous woodpecker, his species is not very distinct. If you\u2019ve watched the Woody Woodpecker show, then you\u2019d probably be familiar with who he is. <\/span><\/p>\n

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2. Their Greatest Threat<\/span><\/h2>\n

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Depending on the species of woodpecker, a lot of them are actually threatened, their biggest threat being the loss of habitat through urban development as well as a growing human settlement. Another reason for the decline of their population would be natural disasters, such as forest fires, and the use of insecticide that can eliminate their sources of food.<\/span><\/p>\n

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3. Species<\/span><\/h2>\n

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There are over 180 to 200 species of woodpeckers all over the world! They\u2019re not as rare as you might think. Two particular species of woodpeckers, such as the ivory billed woodpecker and the imperial woodpecker, are said to be extinct for over 30 years now, but there have been reports that these two supposedly extinct species of woodpeckers are still in existence today, although they may be very hard to spot. Still, we can\u2019t lose hope that they are still around today!<\/span><\/p>\n

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4. They Don\u2019t Get Head Injuries<\/span><\/h2>\n

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Woodpeckers are known for hitting their beaks, or pecking a trunk of a tree, and it would make one wonder if they don\u2019t get any injuries from doing something like this. Compared to us humans, that would probably end up in the hospital and suffering from concussions and other things, woodpeckers are unscathed. They can hit a tree trunk about 100 times per minute and in a day, they can go up to 12,000 hits. Experts say that there are three possible reasons as to why woodpeckers can withstand constant hits to the head; they have powerful neck muscles, a flexible spine as well as a tongue that wraps around its skull.<\/span><\/p>\n

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5. They Have Sharp Tail Spikes<\/span><\/h2>\n

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Apart from its beak, the woodpecker has another part that it uses for defense against potential threats. They are completely resilient and are very good at climbing trees. As they are birds that are designed to adapt to a tree trunk climbing lifestyle, the woodpecker\u2019s tail has sharp spikes that allow them to dig into the bark of a tree. While it uses its claws, its tail acts as a third leg to keep itself secured, similar to how we set up tripods.<\/span><\/p>\n

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6. Their Habitat<\/span><\/h2>\n

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Like we mentioned earlier, while there are about 180 to 200 species of woodpeckers, they are also found pretty much all over the world, meaning that they\u2019re almost everywhere. The only places where they aren\u2019t are Australia, New Guinea, New Zealand, Madagascar, as well as the extreme polar regions, a.k.a the north and south poles and yes, Antarctica. Woodpeckers usually live in forests or in woodland places, although some species of woodpeckers are known to live in areas where there are no trees, such as rocky hillsides and even the deserts.<\/span><\/p>\n

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7. Their Common Colors<\/span><\/h2>\n

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The plumage of woodpeckers are usually black, white, red, and yellow. But there are other species of woodpeckers that have a more vivid kind of coloring, like orange, green, brown, gold and even maroon. It also differs between the sexes of the woodpecker species, as the males have more obvious red and yellow markings on their heads compared to female woodpeckers. In time, it might not be long before we see a multi-colored woodpecker somewhere.<\/span><\/p>\n

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8. The Biggest Woodpeckers<\/span><\/h2>\n

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Woodpeckers usually vary in size, but the largest woodpeckers in the world are also what we mentioned earlier in number 3. The ivory billed woodpecker and the imperial woodpecker are said to be the two largest species, but they are also said to be extinct. And thus, the largest living woodpecker that has been confirmed is the great slaty woodpecker of Southeast Asia, that measures about 20 inches long. But among the North American woodpecker species, the pileated woodpecker is recognized as the largest, measuring up to 16 to 19 inches long among the adults.<\/span><\/p>\n

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9. They Have Zygodactyl Feet<\/span><\/h2>\n

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This is in relation to number 5. Like most of the birds in the animal kingdom, they can fly. But unlike many of the birds, all species of woodpeckers can hop up a tree. These birds have what is called \u2018zygodactyl\u2019 feet. They have two toes that point forward and two more toes pointing back. They climb up a tree by hopping up, clinging to the bark of the tree with their sharp toes and then moving upward. Not many birds can be able to hop up a tree after all, only woodpeckers can. Their feet give them an advantage whenever they\u2019re looking for food or pecking through trees to make their own nests.<\/span><\/p>\n

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10. They Don\u2019t Have Vocal Songs<\/span><\/h2>\n

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Compared to songbirds, woodpeckers do not have vocal songs. Instead of vocal songs, they drum or peck on resonant or hollow objects, like hollow trees and logs, and even on chimneys, rain gutters, as well as trash cans. They do this whenever they want to attract potential mates, mark their territories as well as communicate with each other. This occurs in both sexes of woodpeckers.<\/span><\/p>\n

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11. Flight Patterns<\/span><\/h2>\n

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Compared to other birds, most species of woodpeckers have a distinct flight pattern. It\u2019s made up of several rapid wing beats which is then followed by a quick glide when the woodpecker\u2019s wings are tucked against their body rather than spreading it out. <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Of the millions of animals that are in the animal kingdom, the woodpecker is one that is known for being a builder. They are deemed the construction workers among the birds. But apart from what we know they do, what else do we know about them? There\u2019s more to them than we think, perhaps only those who have studied these birds closely would know these things about them. So, let\u2019s pause for a little bit, and get to know these birds. As they say, the more we know, the more we can understand. They\u2019re not just birds that peck through <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":28062,"featured_media":10819,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4024],"tags":[4108,4107],"yoast_head":"\n