Sometimes, when people are outdoors, they hear the rapid-fire tapping of a woodpecker on a nearby tree. Woodpeckers actually communicate by drumming their bills on trees. Of course, they are also using this process to make a hole in the tree.
There are several kinds of woodpeckers, most of them stocky, short-legged birds with strong tails and dagger-like bills. In appearance, many are rather plain, whereas others display a variety of colors, some almost gaudy. Woodpeckers are diurnal, and though a few are migratory, most are sedentary, living the majority of their lives in one place. Most species are monogamous, but a few live communally.
Woodpeckers are found in many environments all over the world, their greatest diversity being in South America. They are also found in many emblems and coats of arms, as well on postage stamps of numerous countries. Ecologists refer to woodpeckers as “keystone species,” organisms playing...
University of California Press