### animal | vertebrate | bird:

Woodpecker
* All Woodpeckers are extremely expert at discovering insects as they lie under the bark of trees
  - woodpeckers use excavated holes for nesting and roosting at night
* Many woodpeckers also eat fruits, nuts, and even bark
  - are considered to be endangered animals
  - hammer on dead, dry limbs to communicate
  - have a black back with white sideways marks
  - prefer dead or rotting trees for excavating their nest holes
* Most woodpeckers also have four toes, but two face forward and two are directed to the rear
  - catch fly insects
  - close inner eyelids
  - drill into wood to find their food
* Most woodpeckers eat food
  - larvae
  - many different food
  - termites
  - feed on insects
* Most woodpeckers have bones
  - feathers
  - feet
* Most woodpeckers have short legs
  - strong legs
  - sticky tongues
  - tail feathers
  - tails
  - white feathers
  - wings
* Most woodpeckers inhabit forest woodlands
  - orchards
* Most woodpeckers live in areas
  - neighborhoods
  - year-round in the same area
  - make nests
* Most woodpeckers nest in cavities
* Most woodpeckers prefer habitats
  - large trees
* Most woodpeckers use bills
* Produces massive damage to the trunk when nesting.
* Some woodpeckers choose mates.
* Some woodpeckers come to backyard bird feeders
* Some woodpeckers eat feathers
* Some woodpeckers feed babies
  - on larvae
* Some woodpeckers have homes
  - patches
  - two toes in front and two toes in back
* Some woodpeckers love seeds
  - sunflower seeds
* Some woodpeckers make homes
  - their homes in the larger species
  - seek insects
  - share homes
  - sit on feeders
* also drill holes for nesting and roosting
  - drum to attract mates and to announce the boundaries of their territories
  - eat larvae, and other birds, plus mammals, eat eggs and adults
  - enjoy peanuts
  - have spongy tissue which is called as shock absorber
  - peck at wood to find insects for food and to excavate a nest area in a tree
  - use wood and sometimes metal parts of houses as drumming sites
* are abundant
  - all about their protein, whether from larvae, nuts or seeds
  - almost certain to be heard on their continuous quest for insects
  - also interesting because they communicate differently then most other bird groups
* are an ecologically beneficial group of birds with considerable aesthetic value
  - important part of the forest
  - interesting and familiar group of birds
* are cavity nesters, excavating nest sites in trees
  - nesting birds and excavate nesting site in a tree
  - easy to spot because their hammering is very noisy
  - found throughout the United States
  - insectivores that mostly eat ants and grubs
  - known to peck open the galls and eat the insects in the center
  - located in forests
  - noisy as they drill and drum
  - omnivorous birds that eat seeds, berries, nuts, fruits etc
  - primary cavity nesters
  - tough birds
  - tree-dwelling birds with two toes in front and two in back
  - usually easy to watch due to their habits
  - very beneficial to our environment
  - well adapted to maneuvering around tree trunks searching for insects and spiders
* begin announcing their territories by drumming on loud objects.
* build their nests mostly in trees with tree rot.
* busily create cavities in hard snags.
* can also be a significant source of mortality
  - be regular residents in parks and gardens
  - cause property damage by drilling holes in wood siding and eaves
  - damage some trees
  - eat like that, but Starlings hate it
  - hear when an insect is hiding beneath bark or in a hollow part of the tree
  - peck holes in houses
  - pinpoint beetle larvae munching inside a tree
  - turn a tree into veritable swiss cheese as they bore in search of ants and termites
* cause millions of dollars worth of damage to utility poles annually
  - problems around homes primarily due to drumming and drilling activities
* change their diets according to what food sources are most abundant.
* close eyelids
* come in a great variety of shapes and colors
  - to the cactus for habitat
* dig out and feed on larvae in the wood.
* do it thousands of times a day
  - occasionally make holes in houses
* drill other holes in the dead trunks.
* drum in spring, for the dual purposes of attracting a mate and declaring a territory.
* drum, drill, and excavate in wood for many reasons.
* eat bugs, sap, fruit, nuts and seeds
  - immature carpenter bees
* enjoy eating from feeders such as peanut feeders
  - suet, which can be placed in a hanging wire container or mesh bag
* excavate their nests in tree trunks or branches.
* exist in every clime of Africa.
* feed mainly on wood-boring grubs, insects, insect eggs and pupae
* find food
  - the hollow spots in the wood
* forage for favorite meals
* have a third eyelid to help protect their eyes from debris while drilling into trees
  - unique form of communication, called drumming
  - chisel-like beaks for searching under tree bark to find insects
  - definite economic importance
  - four toes - two facing forward and two facing back
  - right stuff
  - special feet
  - stiff tail feathers which act as a brace for moving along vertical tree trunks
  - strong, straight, chisel-like bills for drilling into wood to catch insects
  - to protect themselves from flying wood particles
  - touch-sensitive cells at the tip of the tongue
* hollow out nests in old trees decayed by the activity of such fungi as shelf fungus.
* includes air sacs
  - bird's feet
  - brains
  - breasts
  - cell membranes
  - chest cavities
  - chests
  - corpi
  - cytoplasm
  - ears
  - faces
  - flight feathers
  - heads
  - lips
  - mouths
  - nuclei
  - plasma membranes
  - quill feathers
  - rib cages
  - second joints
  - sections
  - skulls
  - sterna
  - talons
  - vacuoles
  - wishbones
* is the same shape as most other small birds.
* just use the wood chips at the bottom of the nest.
* lack the syrinx, or voice box, that characterizes songbirds.
* like to eat bark beetle larvae.
  - colonies, which use the same storage trees year after year
  - every continent except for polar regions, Australia, and Madagascar
* look for their food on tree trunks.
* make holes in houses for two basic reasons
  - new nest cavities in trees each year, which are later used by many birds
  - noise
* meet the nesting challenge by gouging cavities in the trunks of dead trees.
  - the riverine trees
  - tree cavities, particularly in dead standing trees
* occasionally drill on houses to obtain insects in the wood.
* operate mainly on tree trunks, staying in place propped up by their stiff tail feathers.
* peck holes in the saguaro cactus to make their nests in it
  - trees to get at insect food
* pecking to drum or to make cavities - Woodpeckers also peck on house siding to drum.
* play an important part in Alaska's forest ecosystems.
* primarily eat insects, along with fruit, acorns and nuts.
* probe into tree holes with their tongues to feel for insects.
* rely on trees for food.
* remove the outer bark from infested trees to feed on the larvae.
* riddle the wood with holes searching for the immature stages of carpenter bees.
* roost and nest in cavities.
* sometimes use telephone poles in the place of dead trees.
* sounds vary by the material on which the birds peck.
* spend most of their time spiralling up tree trunks searching for insects.
  - resonant undecayed portions of snags as drumming sites for territorial signals
* use snags both for feeding and for nesting
  - for drumming, nesting, roosting, and feeding
* use their beaks to sing and drum on trees
  - long bills to dig out and eat insects living deep inside tree bark
* use their long, sticky tongues to pierce the ant's nest and eat ant eggs
  - thin beaks to search for insects in tree bark
  - stiff tail as a prop while climbing in order to balance themselves
  - tail for support when they peck tree trunks in search of insects
* usually drill holes in wood to eat insects that are inside
  - excavate new nesting holes each year
+ Woodpecker, Habits: Picidae
  * Woodpeckers operate mainly on tree trunks, staying in place propped up by their stiff tail feathers. Piculets and wrynecks live mainly on the branches, and they lack the stiffened tail feathers.