When you are in the forest, you have probably noticed a sound that comes from above the trees and sounds like the sound of a metal tool knocking on the tree. It is the woodpecker that makes this sound when it taps on a tree in order to forge a hollow in which it later usually lives, or when it taps on the bark of a tree in order to extract the worms that are in it and then eat them.
Woodpecker Coloring Pages
Information
- Classification: Woodpeckers are birds of the woodpecker family (Picidae). There are more than 200 species in this family, which vary in size, color and behavior.
- Occurrence: Woodpeckers inhabit almost all continents, except Antarctica, most of Australia and some oceanic islands.
- Adaptations: With a strong, conical beak and a long tongue ending in a sticky tip, woodpeckers are adapted to extract insects from trees.
- Drumming: A typical behavior for the woodpecker is drumming - rapidly striking a tree with its beak. This is used both to forage for food and to communicate.
- Sockets: Woodpeckers forge cavities in trees that serve as their nests. The inner walls of the cavity are smooth, making it difficult for predators to get inside.
- Diet: Woodpeckers' main food is tree insects, but some species also eat fruits and seeds.
- Strong legs: They have strong legs with four toes (two pointing forward and two pointing backward), which helps them hold on to vertical tree surfaces.
- Depreciation: During drumming, the woodpecker's brain is protected from injury thanks to the special design of its skull and mechanisms that cushion internal impacts.
- Communications: In addition to drumming, woodpeckers use a variety of sounds to communicate with other birds, including whistles, cries and flapping wings.
- Reproduction: Woodpeckers usually lay 2 to 5 eggs per brood, and both parents participate in incubating them and feeding the chicks.
Trivia
- Brain damper: When drumming, the woodpecker's head moves with tremendous speed, which should cause brain injury. However, thanks to the special design of the skull and some cushioning substances, the bird's brain is protected from shocks.
- Long tongue: The tongue of some woodpecker species can be longer than their body. This is used to fish insects out of deep crevices in trees.
- Vision: Woodpeckers have three eyelids to protect their eyes when they drum.
- Sensors in the bow: Some studies suggest that woodpeckers can sense the movements of insect larvae under the bark of trees thanks to vibration sensors in their beaks.
- Evolutionary adaptation: Research shows that woodpeckers evolved from birds resembling today's sparrows and tits.
- Winterizing: Unlike many birds, most woodpeckers do not migrate for the winter. Instead, they stay in their habitat, where they find shelter in hollows.
- Red feathers: In many woodpecker species, the red feathers on the head are used to identify sex or mark territory.
- Drumming as communication: In addition to foraging for food, drumming is also used by woodpeckers to mark territory and attract a mate. Each species has its own characteristic drumming rhythm.
- Eating habits: Although the woodpecker's main food is insects, some species, such as the green woodpecker, eat fruits and berries.
- Sleeping arrangements: Woodpeckers have specially adapted tails that help them maintain their balance while sleeping on vertical tree surfaces.