Background
Information
•Family- Picidae
•Range-
Internationally dispersed in woodlands everywhere except Australia
•Diet- fruit, nuts, acorns, and Insects
•Behavior-
pointed beak used as a both a chisel and crowbar tool. This tool is used to peel back tree bark and
utilizing a long sticky tongue in order to capture insects.
World dispersal picture: http://www.google.com/imgres?hl=en&safe=off&sa=X&biw=1639&bih=800&tbm=isch&prmd=imvnsb&tbnid=LqgsRTbRevtPxM:&imgrefurl=http://www.defenders.org/wildlife_and_habitat/wildlife/woodpeckers.php&docid=4qWAY8ooCAmh5M&imgurl=http://www.defenders.org/images/factsheets/range/RangeMap_woodpecker_550x400.jpg&w=550&h=400&ei=iORnT7KMBoeFsALjl6idCQ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=193&vpy=318&dur=405&hovh=190&hovw=261&tx=70&ty=68&sig=104492569353466368237&page=1&tbnh=146&tbnw=199&start=0&ndsp=35&ved=1t:429,r:9,s:0
World dispersal picture: http://www.google.com/imgres?hl=en&safe=off&sa=X&biw=1639&bih=800&tbm=isch&prmd=imvnsb&tbnid=LqgsRTbRevtPxM:&imgrefurl=http://www.defenders.org/wildlife_and_habitat/wildlife/woodpeckers.php&docid=4qWAY8ooCAmh5M&imgurl=http://www.defenders.org/images/factsheets/range/RangeMap_woodpecker_550x400.jpg&w=550&h=400&ei=iORnT7KMBoeFsALjl6idCQ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=193&vpy=318&dur=405&hovh=190&hovw=261&tx=70&ty=68&sig=104492569353466368237&page=1&tbnh=146&tbnw=199&start=0&ndsp=35&ved=1t:429,r:9,s:0
Woodpeckers have zygodactyl feet which
includes clawed toes in order to grasp tree limbs for use while hammering trees
with their pointed beaks.
Some
species drum on trees to communicate to other woodpeckers and as a part of
their courtship behavior. Woodpeckers tap an estimated 8,000-12,000 times per
day.
Red Headed Woodpecker
•Diagnostic
Features (adult):
medium sized woodpecker,
Red Hood,
White chest
•Diagnostic
Features (juvenile):
Gray brown head
black stripes on white secondary feathers
Behavior- One
of the most aggressive and omnivorous woodpeckers. One of the only woodpeckers to store and
cover food. This bird can actually store
live crickets but places them in such tight quarters that they cannot escape.
Habitat-Breeds
in deciduous woodlands : beach or oak, old burned areas, grooves of dead trees
Winters
in mature stands of forest
Nesting-
nests in holes of dead trees
Food- Most
omnivorous diet: oak mast, seeds,
bird
eggs, fruit nuts, insects, mice, and nuts
•Diagnostic
Features (adult)-
Round
head
Pale
underbelly
Black
and white spotted wings
Red
nape and cap
•Diagnostic
Features (juvenile)-
Similar
to adult with not as developed red nape and cap
Behavior-Famous
for picking at bark rather than drilling into it. Stay on tree limbs unless nesting
Habitat-Very
common in eastern woodlands, wooded shrubs, and forests of the United
States. Very common in pine forests of
many varieties.
Nesting-Will
steal the nesting cavities of other woodpeckers but many times have their own
nests stolen by the European Starling.
If they create their own nesting cavity they will nest in the shavings
they have created.
Food- Eat
insects, spiders, arthropods, fruits, nuts, seeds, and pine cones. Males have a longer tongue in order to fill a
different niche space in the same habitat as its mate.
Northern Flicker
•Diagnostic
Features:
large
woodpecker
round head
Flared
tail that tapers to a point
Flash
of red color in the wings of western birds
Flash
of yellow color in wings of eastern birds
Down
curved bill
Brown
plumage with black spots and crescents
White
rump
Call: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/northern_flicker/id/acNorthern
Behavior-Often
spotted on the ground rather than in the trees because they mainly eat beetles
and ants that they dig up from the soil. One of the only strongly migratory
woodpeckers. Use their beaks for communication and frightening invaders
Food-A
mostly carnivorous diet that focuses on insects it laps up with its long barbed
tongue
Habitat-Live
in open woodlands with a lot of open land it can use to dig up its meals. Also
found in edges and parks.
Nesting-
Both
sexes help to make nesting cavities in dead tree trunks or branches.
Downy Woodpecker
•Diagnostic
features-
-Bill
is relatively smaller for
their body plan than other woodpeckers
-Black
upper parts of the
wings are checkered with white
-Head
is boldly striped
-Bold
white stripe down the back
-Males
have small red patch on the head
-The
outer tail feathers are white with few black spots.
•Behavior-
move more acrobatically than larger
woodpeckers, having a rising a falling flight style like other woodpeckers
in winter, they are frequent members of
mixed species flocks
•Diet
male and females divide up where they
search for food
eats food larger woodpeckers cannot reach
•Habitat
Open woodlands (deciduous forests near
streams)
•Nesting
Small stubs of dead or living trees
Entry way is on underside
Wood is often infected with fungus to
assist in excavation process
Hairy Woodpecker
•Very
similar to the downy woodpecker but bigger with a few different distinguishing
characteristics.
–Stout, pointed bill is nearly as long as
the head
–White and black wings with white barring
–Black tail with white edges
–Black and white face
–Males have a flash of red at the back of
the head
• Behavior-
–Hitch up trees among main branches
–Have slowly undulating flight pattern
•Diet-
–More than 75% is made up of insects,
particularly the larvae of wood-boring beetles and bark beetles, ants, and moth
pupae in their cocoons
•Habitat-
–Hairy Woodpeckers are common in mature
woodlands with medium to large trees
• Nesting-
–In a dead stump of living trees (~2 in.
entry, usually on the underside). Start excavation < 2 weeks before laying
eggs.
Comparison of Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers
Pileated Woodpecker
•Diagnostic
characteristics–
–Largest woodpecker in NA
–White patch on wings
–Solid black back & underparts
–Both males and females have red crest
–Females have dusky gray foreheads &
mustache stripes
–Males show red mustache stripe
Call: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Pileated_Woodpecker/id/ac
•Behavior-
–Works on branches, trunks, and logs
–Makes rectangular excavations
–Pries off long slivers of bark for ants
•Diet-
–Insects
–Feeding excavations very extensive
•Habitat-
–Deciduous or coniferous forests with
large trees
•Nesting
–Similar nesting as other woodpeckers
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