MEET THE WOODPECKER; THE INTRESTING CREATURE WITH SPECIALIZED SKILLS

Woodpeckers are part of the family Picidae, Members of this family are found everywhere, except Australia, New Guinea, New Zealand, Madagascar, and the extreme polar regions. Most species live in forests or woodland habitats, although a few species are known that live in treeless areas.

Woodpeckers mostly forage for insect prey on the trunks and branches of trees, and often communicate by drumming with their beak, producing a reverberatory sound that can be heard at some distance.

Woodpeckers possess zygodactyl feet, consisting of four toes, the first and the fourth facing backward and the second and third facing forward. This foot arrangement is good for grasping the limbs and trunks of trees. Members of this family can walk vertically up tree trunks.

In addition to their strong claws and feet, woodpeckers have short, strong legs. This is typical of birds that regularly forage on trunks and is beneficial for activities like nest excavation.

Woodpeckers do not have such a wide range of songs and calls like passerine birds, and the sounds they make tend to be simpler in structure. Calls produced include brief high-pitched notes, trills, rattles, twittering, whistling, chattering, nasal churrs, screams and wails.