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Woodpeckers

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October 08, 2025

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Recently, the researchers studied how the woodpecker protects its skull despite its constant knocking of its head against wood.

  • Woodpeckers are a family of birds known for their distinct behavior of pecking and drilling into trees to find insects, communicate, and create nests.
  • Family – Picidae, which comes from the Latin word picus meaning woodpecker.
  • Habitat – Most species live in forests or woodland habitats, although a few species are live in treeless areas, such as rocky hillsides and deserts.
  • Distribution – With over 200 species spread across the world, except in the region of Australia, New Guinea and polar regions.
  • They are most abundant in South America and Southeast Asia.
  • Some of the woodpeckers includes Pileated woodpecker, Downy woodpecker, Red-headed woodpecker, Sapsucker, etc.
  • Key Characteristics –
    • They are characterized by their chisel-like bills for drilling, zygodactyl feet (two toes forward, two back) for climbing, and stiff tail feathers that act as props.
    • The birds hold the ability to peck wood 20 times per second.
    • Long Tongue – They also possess long, sticky tongues for extracting insects, its total length of the tongue is one-third of the woodpecker’s body length.
    • The surface of their tongues is covered with barbs that help in catching their prey.
    • Protect its skull – Its long tongue helps protecting the skull of the bird by wrapping it around the skull, thus protecting it from the impact and cushioning the brain.
    • There are also soft bones that lie at the front and back of the skull that spread out the area of the shock generated.
    • Drumming - It is one of their unique features used t0  communicate with each other by drumming against wood to make a loud sound.
    • Most species carve out their own nesting cavities in dead wood, bamboos, cacti and rotting wood.
  • Conservation Status - Woodpecker status varies, but habitat loss from deforestation and logging threatens many species.

References

  1. The Hindu | Woodpeckers
  2. Britannica | Woodpeckers
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