Nature Articles - Nature's Jackhammers                        

As the leaves fall from the trees, autumn is perhaps the best season to spot native woodpeckers. These unique birds exist all over the world except Australia, New Zealand and Madagascar. There are 21 species in North America; in Hamilton County, you can see the pileated, redheaded and redbellied woodpeckers, as well as common flickers, which are also part of the woodpecker family.

Woodpeckers are highly specialized animals with unique adaptations that facilitate their way of life. For example, their “zygodactyls” feet are designed for clinging to the sides of trees. They have one or more toes that point backward, allowing them to support their weight in a vertical position. In addition, their strong, stiff tail feathers press against the tree to provide stability when drilling. Unlike most birds, their skull bones are very hard and serve as shock absorbers for the intense knocking they do with their bills. Their neck muscles area also well-developed to provide support for drilling. While most birds do not have saliva, woodpeckers have a glue-like saliva for catching insects.

In fact, the woodpecker’s diet consists mostly of insects. These birds have an uncanny ability to hear insects within trees and they will dig straight into a hidden ant colony for food. They also consume acorns, beechnuts, fruits and berries. The redheaded and redbellied woodpeckers are know to store food in small holes in trees and will defend their stored treats from other woodpeckers, jays and crows.

Woodpeckers are best known for their drumming skills. They engage in this behavior for two primary reasons: to claim ownership of a territory and to attract a mate. Both males and females drum as part of their courtship ritual. They can bang their beaks as many as 20 times per second. They usually select a hollow tree for maximum volume, although in more urban areas, woodpeckers have been known to drum on metal roofs or drainpipes. One a match is made, the male and female work together to chisel the nest, creating a hole in a tree by working hours at a time for several days. They female will lay four to five white eggs which must be incubated for 12 to 13 days before hatching. The pair alternates incubating the eggs during the day; the male, however, is responsible for the night shift. When the young are hatched, they are completely bare and without down. They stay in the nest for three to four weeks, giving them time to grow and develop enough strength to be able to immediately fly distances upon leaving the nest.