Built-in hammers!
During autumn you can see not only squirrels collecting acorns. Woodpeckers love acorns! The acorn woodpecker is famous for hoarding acorns. In our garden, we occasionally have a visit from green woodpeckers. This is a stunning green bird with red crown and the male has a black moustache. Growing up I remember spending time watching a woodpecker drilling into a big pine tree in our garden. The bird stood out not only because of its stunning red, white and black feathers but also because of the drum solos. This musician makes a sound that echoes through the forest and woke me up early in the morning.
Woodpeckers use their drumming to communicate messages such as attracting a mate or claiming a territory. They search for hollow or dead trees to make as much noise as possible. Yet, they can be very creative and use fence posts, utility poles and a range of other man-made objects. A loud drumming means that it is a strong woodpecker telling competitor to “Stay away!” and “This is my home!”
Sometimes you can hear a whacking sound. Woodpeckers can hear insects making a chewing sound under the bark. They peck away a bit of the bark and use their long tongues to catch an insect, for example, caterpillars, ants, spiders or wood-boring beetles.
Visit the British Library to hear six different drum solos!
Two photos of a female and male white-backed woodpecker. The white-backed woodpeckes have a larger head and beak than similar species.
You are in for a treat if you are lucky to spot a woodpecker in the forest or in your garden. Their tongues and skulls are interesting to explore from a biomimicry perspective so I will return to these remarkable birds in another blogpost.
Featured photo [File:Dendrocopos leucotos 2.jpg|Dendrocopos leucotos 2]
Biomimicry for Young Children 