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Welcome to the Woodpecker Quiz, where you can test your knowledge and learn more about one of the master drillers of the bird world! This bird is known for its tree-tapping tunes and is considered an expert at drilling, drumming and boring holes in search of food. Their beaks are used like jackhammers and with a special bone, called the hyoid bone, that is unique to this species of birds, they do not get headaches.
Take the quiz to test your knowledge of Woodpeckers if you believe you know everything there is to know about them or if you want to learn more about this insect-loving, diurnal bird!
This bird belongs to the family Picidae of which there are more than 230 different species found throughout the world, with the exception of Australia, Madagascar, New Guinea, New Zealand, and the extreme polar regions that lie within the Arctic and Antarctic circle. Some of these species are:
Red-headed (Melanerpes erythrocephalus)
Pileated (Dryocopus pileatus) – one of the largest species in the world
Bar-breasted Picolet (Picumnus aurifrons) – smallest species in the world
There are many woodpecker species that are endangered, like the Red-cockaded (Picoides borealis) and the Okinawa woodpecker (Dendrocopos noguchii) due to deforestation, habitat loss, habitat fragmentation and even hunting. One even recently listed as extinct like the former largest species, the ivory-billed woodpecker (Campephilus principals), although it is purported to be living in the forests of Louisiana.
They don’t eat wood but use their beaks as a tool to dig out holes into wood which allows them to excavate nesting holes.
Some species are omnivores, like the Great Spotted Woodpecker and will occasionally eat other bird eggs.
There are some species that “drum” on metal gutters to mark their territory or attract a mate.
Their beaks never wear down because they have special regenerative cells at the end of their beaks that are constantly regrowing if needed.
Unlike most birds, their tongues are very long. So long that they wrap around their eye sockets allowing them to extend them out much further than other birds.
What is the primary purpose of a woodpecker’s zygodactyl feet?
Melissa Bauernfeind was born in NYC and got her degree in Journalism from Boston University. She lived in San Diego for 10 years and is now back in NYC. She loves adventure and traveling the world with her husband but always misses her favorite little man, "P", half Chihuahua/half Jack Russell, all trouble. She got dive-certified so she could dive with the Great White Sharks someday and is hoping to swim with the Orcas as well.