10 interesting secrets about the woodpecker

While other birds use grass and twigs to make their nests, the woodpeckers use their strong beak to chisel their stems to nest and catch insects.

Surprise with interesting facts about woodpecker

1. Why do woodpeckers do not have headaches?

Pileated ants, the largest species in North America, tucked their heads into the trunk at 24km / h, 20 times per second. So why don't their heads melt to pieces?

Muscular muscles, spongy skull-like bones , along with a thick eyelid have kept their brains intact.

" If you hit your head hard, you may have a vascular rupture after your eyes or a nerve injury behind your eyes," said eye doctor Ivan Schwab at the University of California Davis . "Having seen many patients suffer from car accidents and know the actions of woodpeckers, I could not help wondering why these injuries did not occur in the woodpecker ."

And Schwab was awarded the Ig Nobel Prize last summer for his work on why woodpeckers avoid headaches.

Along with straightforward strokes such as arrows on the tree to avoid shocking the head, the bird's body is also designed to minimize the impact. One millisecond before the knock occurred, the dense muscle mass in the bird's neck shrank and the eyelids closed tightly. A part of the force was released to the muscles of the neck and the skull was protected from a single blow. Cranial compression bone also provides a protective cushion. Meanwhile, the bird's closed eyelids protect the eyes from any piece of wood fired and keep the pupil fixed.

"The eyelid acts as a safety belt and keeps the eye from being shot out of the face ," Schwab said. " Otherwise the acceleration will tear the retina". The outer part of the eye is also very firm and full of blood to protect the retina from being pushed.

The bird's brain is also very firm in such early times. Injuries to the head often cause the brain to be jolted and shaken in the medullary fluid. But the woodpecker is almost without this liquid.

While scientists are unsure whether or not the woodpecker has a headache, Schwab points out that at least the bird is very resistant to pain."When flirting, male woodpeckers can knock drums up to 12,000 times a day. If they have to tell their lover: 'Not tonight, dear, I have a headache', then they have not done anything. That headache. "

2. The tail has sharp spines

Woodpeckers have the ability to climb trees and tough bodies to adapt to life on stems. Its tail has sharp spikes to plug into the trunk. When woodpeckers use nail clippings to tighten the trunk, its tail acts as a third leg to help it cling to the tree.

3. Smart and skillful

Most woodpeckers use tree-borer beaks to catch insects or nest, but woodpecker-type woodpeckers in North and Central America have different properties. They chisel hundreds of small holes in the trunk to store oak seeds and take them out when needed, especially in the cold winter.

4. Earthpecker birds

As the name suggests, earthpeckers often feed on the ground instead of on trees. They often live on steppe areas in South Africa, Swaziland and Lesotho.

They also have earthy fur to mingle with their surroundings. The main food of this termite bird and other insects live underground.

5. Toe-type legs climb

Woodpeckers (zygodactyl), that is, two toes facing forward, two toes facing backwards. This feature makes it easy to firm on the trunk while catching prey as well as moving on the ground.

6. Public relations with hummingbirds

Some species of woodpeckers in North America have a close relationship with hummingbirds. During the process of perching woodpeckers to catch insects, hummingbirds will follow them to suck the sap out.

In return, hummingbirds are tasked with banishing larger birds that want to rob the swordsman's foraging swords. Hummingbirds often smoke nectar, but the source of nectar is scarce in the winter so they have to suck the sap as a substitute.

7. Gila Woodpecker

Living mainly in the desert in the southwestern United States and Mexico , Gila woodpeckers often eat insects on cactus. In addition, we eat cacti and berries.

This bird plays an important role for Saguaro cacti because they catch harmful insects and clean the damaged trunk parts.

8. 'Shield' protects against wood chips and sawdust

The woodpecker has hard and soft hairs to help protect the nose from being damaged by wood chips and sawdust during the tree opaque process.

The hard coat prevents the foreign body from shooting into the nostrils while the soft coat acts as a filter that blocks dust when they breathe. In addition, woodpeckers also have a special coat of hair that protects the eyes.

9. Woodpecker birds catch flies

Unlike other species of percussion birds that chisel stems to catch insects, the American woodpecker catches flies in the US often hunting aerial insects such as flies or beans on trees.

In autumn and winter, they often eat oak seeds and other nuts. They also chisel the stalks to make nests like other woodpeckers.

10. Birds twist their necks

Along with the woodpecker family, but the Eurasian turtleneck has the appearance of more sparrow. Their necks are flexible and can be turned backwards like snakes.

Ancient crooked birds often nest in open forests and feed on the ground. Their favorite dish is ant.