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The wonder of
woodpeckers
Woodpeckers may be the
most aptly named bird around. Given their druthers, they will
peck at wood for food – primarily the insects and beetle
larvae they find yummy.
So how do their bodies
handle all that pounding? They are well equipped! They have
two toes that point backward and allow them to cling to tree
trunks. They have special stiff tail feathers that support
their bodies. Air bubbles in their skulls act as shock
absorbers every time they slam a tree trunk with their beak.
And their super-sticky tongues reach into the holes they
create to dig out the delectable insects.
Of all the woodpeckers
that call North America home, only a few regularly visit
feeders. Red-bellied, Hairy
and Downy woodpeckers are frequent feeder
visitors, and all savor suet. Suet is a pure fat substance
sometimes mixed with seeds, nuts or fruit.
The Red-bellied
Woodpecker really doesn’t have a red belly – just a
pale rosy tint. This woodpecker is unusual in that it will
sample about any food it finds. It eats seeds, fruit and
insects and loves acorns when they are available. These
woodpeckers use their tongues more than their beaks to find
their food.
Downy
and Hairy woodpeckers have almost identical
markings, although the Hairy Woodpecker is
bigger than the Downy Woodpecker by about 2
inches. Hairy Woodpeckers can find their food
by feeling the vibrations made by insects moving about in
trees or hearing the insects chewing on the wood! They also
eat fruit, pinecone seeds and sometimes feed at wells made in
trees by sapsuckers or at hummingbird feeders. Downy
Woodpeckers like to eat fly larvae that spend the
winter atop goldenrod stems.
All woodpeckers pale in
comparison to the incredible Pileated
Woodpecker (shown above). This enormous bird feeds on
insects found primarily in large trees or dead or fallen
trees. It makes a characteristic fist-sized hole that’s
rectangular in shape with curved edges. And as soon as it is
done, other woodpeckers come in to finish the
leftovers.
Attract woodpeckers to
your yard with any type of suet. The Certified Birdfeeding
Specialists at Wild Birds Unlimited can help you choose a
variety of suet that’s right for your backyard. In addition,
some woodpeckers are particularly partial to a feeder that
gives them a place to rest their tail. One such feeder is the
Tail Prop feeder from Wild Birds Unlimited. If grackles and
starlings are an issue in your backyard, try the upside down
suet feeder. Woodpeckers can easily eat upside down while
pesky grackles and starlings generally
cannot. | 
