Dear Friend of Nature,
Woodpeckers are hard-headed. It comes with the territory!
When excavating, woodpeckers can strike a tree at speeds up to 15 mph. This is enough force to create brain damage in most other birds, and certainly in our human brain. But, due to a number of adaptations, woodpeckers thrive on this heavy hitting.
Woodpeckers' skulls are incredibly strong, yet lightweight, due to a reinforcing meshwork of bony support struts. This skull structure moderates the impact of the blows while transmitting the force away from the brain.
With all that pounding, why doesn't a woodpeckers's bill wear down to a dull nub? It does wear down; however, special cells at the tip of the bill constantly replace the lost material, keeping the bill strong and sharp.
Woodpeckers' tails are as tough as their bills. Woodpeckers' pointed tail feathers are especially strong and rigid, and their tail bones, lower vertebrae and the tail's supporting muscles are very large in comparison to other birds.
These modifications allow a woodpecker's tail to serve as a sturdy prop that supports its weight while clinging to trees.
Woodpeckers can easily be attracted to feeders filled with no-melt suet dough, especially varieties containing nuts. Simply offer these foods in a WBU Tail Prop feeder, and you can get an up close and personal look at some of the toughest guys in the neighborhood!
Happy Birding and a most Happy Thanksgiving,
Susan, Mary, Shelby, Kathy, Angela...and Emily, too!
Update on Operation Migration Fuel Seed Sale:
Thanks to customers like you, we were able to donate $315 to Operation Migration which will go toward the fuel for the ultralite aircraft that are leading this year's generation of young Whooping Cranes from Wisconsin to Florida! Follow their journey at www.operationmigration.org.
