Woodpeckers are a wonderful type of bird and their unique black and white patterns and pops of red make them stand out in the bird world. This blog post is a compilation of woodpeckers that I find interesting and a little bit about them.
Pileated Woodpecker
I never would want to chose favorites, and with that being said, I still think pileated woodpeckers may be one of my favorite woodpeckers. They are huge woodpeckers, the largest in North America. They are similarly sized to a crow, so as you can imagine, they are alarmingly large for a woodpecker. In my experience, they are relatively uncommon unless you know where to look for them. They mostly live in older forests with mature trees. They can be difficult to actually identify because their call is so similar to a Northern Flicker’s call. Normally the pileated calls seem louder to me, but making a definite identification by call alone can be difficult at times. If you see a pileated woodpecker, they are pretty unique because of their pattern and size, so it is not difficult to identify from a picture or through binoculars.
Red Headed Woodpecker
Not to be mistaken with a red-bellied woodpecker, the much more common woodpecker that also has red on its head, the red headed woodpecker is another super unique, easily identifiable woodpecker. They are very uncommon, and I have only seen them a handful of times.
The first time I saw them, I wasn’t even birding! I was on a hike with my sister, and we both happened to bring our binoculars since it was spring. It was a park that I had never visited and she had only visited once since it was over an hour away. We were looking in the trees because some beautiful scarlet tanagers were flitting around, and all the sudden we saw a red headed woodpecker. Then another! Then another! There was a little family of red headed woodpeckers living there! It was so magical.
Acorn Woodpecker
I have never actually seen an acorn woodpecker since they mostly live out west, but I would love to see one. All about birds describes their face as “clownish” which is a little harsh but very funny. Do not bully them because they are very beautiful to me <3 They get their name from, shocker, the fact that they eat a lot of acorns. In fact, acorns make up half their diet and they hoard acorns. They have what seems like a pretty symbiotic nature with oak forests which is pretty neat. One thing that is pretty interesting about acorn woodpeckers is that they nest in groups, and the woodpeckers in the group will all help take care of the young and defend the territory. This group approach is so fascinating to me since normally birds take care of their chicks in partnerships.
Woodpeckers are an incredible group of birds, and there are so many more interesting species that I might have to do a part two to this blog post at one point!
I know nothing about woodpeckers other than the fact that they like to peck on the side of our house sometimes. This makes me wonder what kind of woodpeckers are native to my area (the suburbs of northern New Jersey). Honestly, the thought of a woodpecker the size of a crow is a little scary. I imagine that they could do some damage if they wanted to. Also, I think the group approach that acorn woodpeckers take is pretty interesting–I wonder why that species of woodpecker specifically evolved to act that way? Are they smaller and in areas with more predators, forcing them to rely on a large group to stay safe? I also wonder if there are certain areas where acorn woodpeckers are at odds with other acorn eating animals.
Woodpeckers and hummingbirds are definitely my favorite birds. I feel like a forest isn’t complete until I hear a woodpecker in the background hitting a tree. I love the color scheme on their head with the bright red feathers. Do you know if the color scheme is to attract mates or for another reason?
I think birds are some of the most beautiful and unique animals because they come in such varieties. I also think the Acorn woodpecker is cute, despite what others say! I’m not very good at distinguishing different types of birds, but I think birding would be an interesting hobby to take up. Can you get an idea of what type of woodpecker will be around by the sound of their beaks pecking into a tree? Would the pitch sound different depending on the bird’s size?