Film of an extinct woodpecker.

[wrenstarling]

I wanted to share this article with you. Woodpeckers are a very special bird; there is no bird more closely entwined with trees. Their way of feeding involves delicately picking through the bark as well as the hammering they are better known for; they are truly the woodcarver. They would tell us how important every small part of the world is to the larger whole...and we should listen.

Comments

[acelightning]

Woodpeckers' skulls are built differently from those of other birds, so they can hammer vigorously with their sturdy beaks without injuring themselves. They mostly make holes because they're looking for insects that burrow under the bark, but some woodpeckers also make holes big enough to build their nests in - this protects the eggs and young from predators. The trees suffer some damage from the holes the woodpeckers make, but the birds also do the trees a service by destroying insects that harm the trees. Woodpeckers also have long sticky tongues for extracting the insects from their holes.

However, if a woodpecker finds tasty insects in the exposed boards of the eaves of your house, you will discover that they are virtuoso drummers who never seem to get tired. I've actually had this happen to me, and they are loud!

[ar_wahan]

We watched (and heard) a woodpecker make a nest for its eggs in an old maple tree this summer, and heard the babies when they hatched and wanted food! (And with binoculars, we could see them.)

I can also attest to the noise a woodpecker makes when it decides to use your house as a source of insects. I was at a meeting in one such house, and it was LOUD and incessant, as Ace says! The husband of the hostess had to go outside and yell at the bird to frighten it off, so we could conduct our meeting!