Let’s say you planned on sleeping in on a cool Sunday morning because you stayed out late talking with friends (maybe a few adult beverages were involved too) Saturday night, but you hear an annoying non-stop knocking outside your bedroom window. As much as you DON’T want to investigate, you get up see WOODY THE WOODPECKER pounding away on a tree close to your house. Is it possible to stop this type of bird from beating on a tree? Well, I didn’t feel like getting dressed and throwing something at woody, so I made a cup of coffee and thought the loud pecking had to stop soon. To my surprise the consent pounding kept going and thought this bird could only take so much pounding before it gets a headache and would stop for at least a few minutes, but NO. I decided the best thing to do at the time was to sit down and do a little research.

I learned there are basically 8 different woodpecker species that can be seen in Wisconsin with the pileated red head being the most common, but the annoying noise maker outside my bedroom window was a female DOWNY WOODPECKER which is the second most seen in the Northwoods. I also found out that male Downy’s have a red patch of feathers on their heads, while female have a white feather on the top of their heads.

It turns out these birds have cartilage between their beak and skull that cushions those blows as they hammer on a tree between 600 to over 1000 times in a minute at 15 mph depending on the species. Then, of all birds, woodpeckers have the best sense of hearing. When you see a woodpecker pecking on a tree and then stops, they are listening for any vibration under the bark (insects moving), and this is why they know exactly where to start hammering away. Woodpeckers will also peck on trees to make holes for nesting, but they prefer dead trees because they are softer and easier to make a hole. Here are a few more facts you might find interesting.

* They have modified feathers over their nostrils, not to inhale wood chips.
* Have a third eyelid that protects their eyes also.
* Have long sticky, barber tongues to reach into crevices.
* Have 2 toes facing forward and 2 facing backwards.
*  Average life expectancy is 11 to 15 years.

So, let’s hope the one hammering outside my bedroom window is really close to 15. I’M JOKING.