Woodpecker

 


Female red-bellied woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus) - watercolor on 9"x12" 300g 100% cotton paper inspired by an Audobon photo 

Did you know that woodpeckers drum into trees to find food, build nests, and communicate during the breeding season? Evolutionary adaptations enable the woodpecker’s head to strike 1200 times a minute, enduring up to 1500 g-force units (for comparison’s sake, concussions in football players occur at 80 g-force) without any risk of migraine or concussion

Woodpeckers use their beaks to hammer into the trunks of trees to make holes to extract insects and sap, but have several unique brain, skull, beak and neck adaptations that help them perform their high-impact, repetitive drumming behavior:

1. Strong Beak and Jaw: The woodpecker’s beak is designed to withstand heavy impacts. Its lower mandible is slightly longer than the upper mandible, which helps to cushion the shock as they strike the tree, transmitting 99.7% of the strain forces to the body, leaving just 0.3% to be absorbed by the head.

2. Strong Neck Muscles: Woodpeckers have powerful neck muscles that help stabilize the head while they drum. These muscles allow them to strike without the brain moving too much inside the skull, reducing the potential for concussions or injury.

3. Brain is protected: Woodpeckers also have less internal fluid surrounding the brain than other big animals. This helps to limit the motion of the brain during the pecking. The reduced amount of fluid has an effect that is analogous to the yolk of a hard-boiled egg, which won't get damaged by shaking, compared to the yolk of a raw, uncooked egg.

These adaptations help the woodpecker continue its drumming behavior without damaging its brain, making it an excellent example of evolutionary specialization for survival.


Comments

Anonymous said…
Ufffff! My head aches already! 😁😁😁😁. My brother had a woodpecker living in the tree outside their bedroom...it made a huge hole through their wooden outside wall...For the period I spent with them, my duty was to sit on the front doorstep, after returning from Mass, and shoo the bird away...🤦🏼‍♂️😅
March 29, 2025 at 6:40 AM
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