30 Interesting Facts About Woodpeckers

1. Woodpeckers are present everywhere on earth, except in Polar Regions and a few island countries (Australasia, Madagascar, etc.).
2. Woodpeckers usually live in woodland and forests habitat where trees are abundant. They dig holes in tree trunks with their exceptionally strong beaks.
3. Woodpeckers use their beaks to eat insects. They also communicate through beaks by drumming them with trees.
4. The drumming sound of woodpeckers has various purposes. It indicates their species, emotional state, and individual recognition. There are different patterns of drumming for all these purposes.
   
5. Apart from drumming, woodpeckers also use chirps, chatters, and other calls for communication. They cannot sing due to the absence of vocal cords. 
6. They also use the holes made in trees for nesting or a place to spend winters. Few species use the same hole next year, while others build new holes every year.
7. Making holes in trees is helpful for trees also. These birds prove beneficial removing pest insects from trees.
8. Holes made by woodpeckers are also helpful for other birds. These birds can make their nests in these holes after woodpeckers abandon them.

   

   Red-bellied woodpecker store food in tree holes

   
   
9. Few woodpecker species store their food in holes inside trees or buildings. Famous species with this feature are red-headed woodpeckers, red-bellied woodpeckers, and acorn woodpeckers. The foods they keep inside holes include insects, fruits, nuts, acorns, etc.
10. The force exerted by woodpeckers with their beaks on tree trunks is 1,000 times that of gravity. But even then, they manage to protect themselves from any serious brain injury thanks to their extraordinarily strong skull and the presence of shock absorbers. (Source)
    
11. Apart from the beak, another vital component of a woodpecker is its extremely long tongue. In a few species, the tongue is so long that the woodpecker has to wrap it around its skull. This long tongue is helpful for the bird to catch ants from their deep nests. (Source)
12. The ground woodpecker is one of the three ground-dwelling woodpeckers in the world. These woodpeckers usually consume ants in their diet.
13. Woodpeckers have bristle feathers on their nostrils. These feathers protect woodpeckers from the inhalation of wood particles while pecking.
14. The shape of woodpecker’s nest holes can differ in various species. These holes can be square, rectangular, or long. 
15. Woodpeckers are known as one of the best tree climbers among birds. Their feet (with two toes on forward and two in backward directions) and a long, firm tail assist them in climbing, grasping, and balancing on trees. But these birds are not experts in climbing down the trees. 
16. Few species of woodpeckers can catch flying insects. These include acorn woodpeckers, red-headed woodpeckers, and others.
17. The imperial woodpecker is the largest woodpecker species on earth. This critically endangered woodpecker is endemic to Mexico and can grow up to 24 inches long. 
18. Rufous piculet is the world’s smallest woodpecker. The length of this tailless woodpecker, endemic to Southeast Asia, is up to 4 inches.
19. Coyotes, bobcats, hawks, and foxes are the main predators of woodpeckers. Snakes and other birds eat the eggs of woodpeckers.
20. Woodpeckers are omnivores. Their diet includes insects, bird eggs, small rodents, tree sap, fruits, and nuts. 
21. Red-breasted sapsuckers, a woodpecker species, play a crucial role in the survival and completion of a long journey by the rufous hummingbirds. These woodpeckers in North America drill numerous holes in the barks of trees and shrubs to suck the nutritious tree sap. Rufous hummingbirds also consume the same tree sap while migrating from Mexico to northern parts before the start of the flowering season. (Source)
22. The Eurasian wryneck twists its head like a snake and hisses when in danger. Due to this trait, this woodpecker was considered related to witchcraft and known as “jynx” in the past.
23. The average lifespan for woodpeckers in the wild is from 4 to 12 years. Larger woodpeckers can live for up to 30 years. These birds can live longer in captivity.
24. Few species of woodpeckers also live in treeless areas like deserts and rocky hillsides. Gila woodpecker is an example. This desert-dwelling woodpecker has adapted to make a hole and live inside cacti.

    

    Gila woodpecker can live inside cacti
25. Woodpeckers belong to the group of birds known as piciform. The closest relatives of woodpeckers are wrynecks, piculets, and honeyguides.
26. Woodpeckers have a unique flight pattern. Their flight includes rapid wing beats followed by a quick glide which makes them fly up and down continuously.
27. Woodpeckers can peck 20 times per second. Their speed and endurance enable them to peck 10,000 to 12,000 times daily.
28. There are more than 200 known species of woodpeckers. Most of these species are monogamous and mate for life. Only a few species, like the acorn woodpeckers, are polygamous.
29. Several species of woodpeckers join flocks in temperate and tropical regions. A study shows that foraging of different woodpecker species together happens regularly in Southeast Asia. (Source)
30. Different species of woodpeckers have varying colors. But unlike most other birds, male and female woodpeckers of the same species have identical colors.