Have you ever paused to wonder why woodpeckers hammer away at trees with such determination? The sound of a woodpecker in a forest is something quite fascinating, but these birds are not making noise just for fun. Pecking trees plays a vital role not just for them, but for survival in the forest.
Of 200 species of woodpecker species, just 3 are native to the UK. They tend to live in woodlands rather than gardens, and prefer dead (or dying) trees, as they have more insects to find and eat. The wood is also softer (so easier to drill through, and carve nests).
- Solitary Green woodpeckers often roost near each other.
- Great spotted woodpeckers have bright red patches on their back necks.
- Lesser spotted woodpeckers are very small (unlikely to be seen, unless you’re an avid woodland birdwatcher).
The green woodpecker flies like a madman up and down, up and down. And when he’s not banging that beak away at a tree, he’s calling loud with his piercing ‘yaffle’ laugh. So what makes him such an extrovert?
Maybe it’s the extra long tongue he hides in his beak? Apparently it can stretch the length of his body to reach bores, beetles and weevils. Personally I think he’s be more at home with a can of lager and a kebab! Matt Sewell
Drumming for Communication
Drumming the beak at a tree in rapid beats, is announcing the woodpecker’s territory to rivals. It’s like a bird version of banging on a door to say ‘this space is mine!’ Drumming also helps to attract hearts, by sending out a good drum solo!
Foraging for Food
Woodpeckers often dig into tree bark to find insects and larvae hiding beneath. Pecking into the wood help uncover a feast of bugs, which forms a crucial part of the bird’s diet.
Creating Nesting Sites
Woodpeckers (like most birds) are master builders. The pecking can be used to chisel out hollows in tree trunks, to create nests. These provide safe havens for young woodpeckers, to keep them safe from predators and harsh weather. These snug homes are perfect to raise chicks.
How Come Woodpeckers Don’t Get Headaches?
You would think with all that drumming, the woodpecker would have a mighty headache. In fact, not so. The beak itself is shaped like a chisel, so very sharp to cut into wood, and can withstand greater impact, than most birds.
Regarding the woodpecker’s head, it has built-in shock absorbers! A thick skull and strong neck muscles absorbs the force of each peck. It’s like the woodpecker has the equivalent of us wearing a motorcycle crash helmet!
Environmental Issues for Woodpeckers
No surprise here, but obviously deforestation has had huge negative impacts on woodpeckers, who live in forests and woodlands. This not only destroys their homes, but also their food sources and nesting sites. Altered weather due to climate change also affects insects, their main food sources.
Our role in reducing carbon footprints and protecting forests, is paramount to ensure that woodpeckers can keep pecking away at wood, to let us know they are still here and thriving!
A Fun Illustrated Guide to Woodland Birds
Our Woodland Birds takes us into forests, copses and wastelands to meet bramble-picking blue tits, a flight of finches and a parliament of young owls.
Some of these birds visit gardens. So keep feline friends inside at dawn and dusk, when birds are likely feeding. If used, choose plain quality birdhouses that are sited correctly (never tin coloured birdshouses, these can overheat and attract predators). Also read how to prevent birds flying into windows.
Contents
- Goldfinch
- Bullfinch
- Crested tit
- Long-tailed tit
- Hobby
- Merlin
- Common buzzard
- Sparrowhawk
- Nuthatch and Treecreeper
- Wryneck
- Lesser-spotted woodpecker
- Pheasant & Golden pheasant
- Black grouse
- Goldeneye
- Moorhen
- Woodcock
- Whinchat
- Cirl bunting
- Woodlark
- Tree pipit
- Blue throat
- Black redstart
- Ring ouzel
- Fieldfare
- Waxwing
- Spotted flycatcher
- Great grey & red-backed shrike
- Tawny owls
- Jay
- Nutcracker
- Jackdaw
- Rookery
- Hooded crow
- Magpies
- Blue tit
- Redpoll
- Golden oriole
- Stock dove
- Black caps
- Heron
- Barn owl
- Robin
Some woods are now so deathly quiet that you could hear a pine needle drop. This is often due to the planting of fast-growing and often non-native pine and conifer trees.
They might be perfect for timber production and cash turnover, but not for our birds who need the insects, nesting places and ecosystems that thrive in mixed and broad-leaf forests. Our once insect-rich summers are now a thing of the past, due to pesticides and intensive farming practices.
Pheasants (not native woodland birds)
Although native to Asia, pheasants are beautiful wodland birds, known for their croaking call and vivid plumage of shimmmering green, gold and red (the females are less noticable, idea to camouflage when nesting). These birds tend to live in woodlands and field edges, where they can shelter and forage for seeds, grains and insects.
Unfortunately these beautiful birds are hunted, bred extensively (often in conditions akin to factory farms) so they can be shot on shoots. Often by people who don’t have the experience to shoot properly (meaning many remain injured, or are even collected to be shot again).
The other issue is that massive over-breeding for the shooting industry leads to millions of pheasants being killed in road accidents (which not only endangers native sand lizards, eaten by pheasants). But causes lots of road accidents involving humans too.
Recent reports also say that a lot of game meat like pheasant contains lead shot (only a voluntary ban is in place), which is not good for the environment (abandoned lead shot can harm all kinds of creatures including swans) and obviously not good either for humans to eat.
