# Talk:Woodpecker

This article was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment, between 12 August 2020 and 25 November 2020. Further details are available on the course page. Student editor(s): Zyv2.
Above undated message substituted from Template:Dashboard.wikiedu.org assignment by PrimeBOT (talk) 05:03, 18 January 2022 (UTC)

The recent edits on other pages moving several Picoides species to other genera has led to some orphaned genera.  Example: the Red-cockaded woodpecker was recently edited changing its genus to Leuconotopicus, which is not mentioned on this page as a genus within Picidae.  I don't know enough about the current state of bird taxonomy to know whether to add Leuconotopicus to this page, or to revert the other changes to species pages.  May be in need of an expert eye to untangle. Chanther (talk) 16:47, 27 December 2014 (UTC)

Unbelievable picture and story:
The Tale of the Weasel and the Woodpecker 82.171.6.217 (talk) 09:14, 3 March 2015 (UTC)

I have acquired the 2014 book Woodpeckers of the World: A Photographic Guide by Gerard Gorman  with a view to working on this article and taking it to GA. The book has a twenty page introductory section with a lot of general information on the family. If anyone else would like to join me, they are welcome to do so. I am also expanding some of the species stubs. Cwmhiraeth (talk) 11:29, 25 March 2017 (UTC)

Well, I was one of the people that got it to B class, so I guess I'll keep helping. Sabine's Sunbird  talk 18:51, 25 March 2017 (UTC)
A pre-GAN comment (not sure if I will get to review it), but it seems a bit strange that the ivory billed woodpecker is mentioned several times throughout the article, but not in the status section, where it may be most relevant. I think you could list extinct and threatened species there. The last paragraph under "Habitat requirements" seems misplaced (says nothing about habitats), and could probably be moved to the status section. FunkMonk (talk) 03:02, 11 July 2017 (UTC)
Thank you for the comment. I have moved the paragraph you suggested and will see what I can find on extinct and endangered species. Cwmhiraeth (talk) 13:10, 11 July 2017 (UTC)

This review is transcluded from Talk:Woodpecker/GA1. The edit link for this section can be used to add comments to the review.
Reviewer: Dunkleosteus77 (talk · contribs) 05:55, 24 July 2017 (UTC)


### Comments by Dunkleosteus77
The caption is way too long for the image in the General characteristics section, pick one topic to briefly glance over in the caption, and let the article do most of the explaining   User:Dunkleosteus77 |push to talk  05:55, 24 July 2017 (UTC)
You keep switching from singular to plural, like with, "The largest surviving species is the great slaty woodpecker..." and right next to it, "the probably extinct imperial woodpeckers," be consistent where you can   User:Dunkleosteus77 |push to talk  05:55, 24 July 2017 (UTC)
Basic rule of thumb for commas and adjectives, if you can't switch them, use a comma (like, "... have short strong legs," should be, "... have short, strong legs") I fixed that last one by the way   User:Dunkleosteus77 |push to talk  05:55, 24 July 2017 (UTC)
You seem to be wikilinking things in the lead and then not in the rest of the article. If you wikilink something in the lead, you still have to wikilink the first mention of it in the rest of the article   User:Dunkleosteus77 |push to talk  05:55, 24 July 2017 (UTC)
You may want to wikilink all the big, sciencey words (like "collagen fibers"). Think of it like if sixth-grade you didn't know it, wikilink it   User:Dunkleosteus77 |push to talk  05:55, 24 July 2017 (UTC)
"It had been reported..." I think it should be, "It has been reported..."   User:Dunkleosteus77 |push to talk  05:55, 24 July 2017 (UTC)
Did you at one point reshuffle this article a bit? I noticed that sometimes words aren't wikilinked on their first mention but are wikilink some ways later (like piculets)   User:Dunkleosteus77 |push to talk  05:55, 24 July 2017 (UTC)
You sometimes overlink words (right now I see passerine and cactus are wikilinked twice)   User:Dunkleosteus77 |push to talk  05:55, 24 July 2017 (UTC)
Use this converter to convert ISBN-10 to ISBN-13 as per WP:ISBN   User:Dunkleosteus77 |push to talk  05:55, 24 July 2017 (UTC)
The Relationship with humans section could use a picture, maybe of one of those woodpeckers discussed in the Status and conservation section   User:Dunkleosteus77 |push to talk  05:55, 24 July 2017 (UTC)
ref no. 3 and 6 are incomplete   User:Dunkleosteus77 |push to talk  05:55, 24 July 2017 (UTC)
Thank you for taking on this review. I think I have dealt with all the points you raised, and I agree that the article was grossly overlinked. Cwmhiraeth (talk) 19:59, 24 July 2017 (UTC)
I think ref no. 29 is a deadlink   User:Dunkleosteus77 |push to talk  22:16, 24 July 2017 (UTC)
In the further reading section, the link for "A phylogenetic analysis of woodpeckers and their allies using 12S, Cyt b, and COI nucleotide sequences (class Aves; order Piciformes)" won't open for me (but that just might be by crap wifi)   User:Dunkleosteus77 |push to talk  22:16, 24 July 2017 (UTC)
what's the source for the List of genera section?   User:Dunkleosteus77 |push to talk  22:16, 24 July 2017 (UTC)
you wikilinked bill twice and wryneck on the second mention in the General characteristics section
Done these apart from the list of genera. That predated my involvement with the article, and if you think it is important, I shall have to make enquiry at the Birds Project page. Cwmhiraeth (talk) 19:41, 25 July 2017 (UTC)
that might be best because some species may have been invalidated since whenever this list was made, or it may be incomplete   User:Dunkleosteus77 |push to talk  21:14, 25 July 2017 (UTC)
I asked at the Bird Project page and Shyamal has added some references for the "List of Genera" section. Are you happy with that? Cwmhiraeth (talk) 18:24, 28 July 2017 (UTC)
By the way, if you're taking this to FA, you might want to get more recent refs. I see one from the 1984 and another from the 1800s   User:Dunkleosteus77 |push to talk  21:18, 25 July 2017 (UTC)
I'm not sure that's an issue, it depends on what is being cited. Sabine's Sunbird  talk 04:48, 26 July 2017 (UTC)
Thank you for the useful review. Cwmhiraeth (talk) 19:28, 28 July 2017 (UTC)

Can you put more.......soundtrack or video about woodpeckers?😃 Yellow man (talk) 13:25, 6 February 2018 (UTC)

I just saw a CT scan[1] of a woodpecker showing the insane tongue bones wrapping around the skull and going into the right nostril. I think this feature is notable enough to show, perhaps use one of these[2][3] images in the lower right of the characteristics section? Also could be good to note the asymmetry (only entering the right nostril), if that is a general thing. FunkMonk (talk) 08:04, 5 April 2019 (UTC)

Thanks, I have added it to the article. Cwmhiraeth (talk) 09:49, 6 April 2019 (UTC)
Looks good! Makes them seem even more amazing. FunkMonk (talk) 12:18, 6 April 2019 (UTC)

[4] 104.162.197.70 (talk) 10:12, 9 June 2019 (UTC)

It certainly looks like it, and the article mentions that their diet includes eggs and nestlings. Cwmhiraeth (talk) 12:41, 9 June 2019 (UTC)

This study comes to the conclusion that woodpeckers do not actually have shock absorbers in their skulls. Instead, their small-sized brains seem to prevent trauma. Perhaps a candidat for inclusion in list of common misconceptions, too? AndersenAnders (talk) 14:27, 31 July 2022 (UTC)

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