Woodpeckers – Did You Know?
Woodpeckers use their powerful beaks to drill into dead and dying trees, looking for insects or carving out a cavity for a nest. They can peck a tree up to 20 times per second with a force around 10 times greater than what would cause a concussion in humans!
How do they do this? The unique structure of their beak and skull prevents injuries and their long tongue, which is used for collecting insects inside their bore holes, wraps around their brain case, acting as a cushion from all that heavy impact!
Woodpeckers excavate trees for their nesting sites, but once they vacate, the holes and cavities they leave are used by hundreds of other species of birds and mammals. Woodpeckers are essential for the health of many other species and are considered the ‘ecosystem’ engineers of our forests in similar fashion to way beavers engineer aquatic environments.
We are fortunate to see woodpeckers year-round – they don’t have to migrate because they have access to hibernating insects in winter and have the tools to get at them. However, like all insectivores, they are at risk for secondary insecticide poisoning when they consume poisoned insects. When this young Pileated Woodpecker was brought to Kawartha Wildlife Centre, he was underweight, uncoordinated, and lethargic, and riddled with insecticides. Without treatment he would have perished, but we were able to flush the pesticides out of his system for a full return to the wild!
If you have a dying or standing dead tree (snag) that is not causing a fall-risk, please consider leaving this valuable habitat in place. Not only will you be able to enjoy beautiful woodpeckers year-round, but you are sustaining a critical resource for hundreds of species!
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