Woodpeckers are a large family of birds belonging to the order ‘Piciformes’ that are scattered across the forested areas of the globe. They owe their name to their characteristic habit of drumming and pecking noisily on tree with the help of their beaks. Normally, this pecking behavior in woodpeckers is a way of signaling territorial possession, as well as a method of locating food in the tree barks such as insect larvae and tree sap. They have certain specialized physical traits like ‘shock-absorber’ head musculature, long tongues, pointed nails, and stiff tail feathers that help them to balance and clutch themselves upright on trees. Check out some interesting and amazing information about woodpeckers here.
Facts About Woodpeckers
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Piciformes
Family: Picidae
Subfamily: Picinae
Genera: Melanerpes, Sphyrapicus, Xiphidiopicus, Dendropicos, Dendrocopos, Picoides, Veniliornis, Campethera, Geocolaptes, Dinopium, Meiglyptes, Hemicircus, Micropternus, Picus, Mulleripicus, Dryocopus, Celeus, Piculus, Colaptes, Campephilus, Chrysocolaptes, Reinwardtipicus, Blythipicus, Gecinulus
Sapheopipo
Species: More than 200
Natural Habitat: Forested Areas
Diet: Tree sap, nuts, insect larvae etc
Interesting & Amazing Information About Woodpeckers
- There are more than 200 species of woodpeckers scattered all over the world.
- Most woodpeckers have zygodactyl feet with the arrangement of four toes - two pointing forward and the other two pointing backward.
- Woodpeckers have very long tongues, which it uses for wriggling on to difficult places in order to capture preys.
- Woodpeckers have short legs and very pointed nails, which makes it easier for them to clutch on to the barks of trees.
- Woodpeckers have a pair of firm and centrally located tail feathers that supports and keeps them upright on trees.
- A very thick skull and squashy bone protects the brain of woodpeckers from shocks caused by persistent pecking behavior.
- Stubbly and coarse feathers over their nostrils help woodpeckers to ward off wood flakes created by pecking.
- Both parents engage in the incubation of young ones, who are born naked and blind.
- All woodpeckers fly in a typical pattern, with three flaps followed by a single glide.
- Woodpeckers create new holes every year. Thus, old cavities drilled by them are used by other hole-nesting species such as starlings, chickadees, owls, and squirrels.
