The Wonders of Woodpeckers

During a recent trek through the Manasota Scrub Preserve near 776 and Manasota Beach Road a friend and I encountered a pair of pileated woodpeckers working on a nesting cavity high overhead in a large dead pine. These crow-sized birds are as common here as around my former home in Minnesota. Apparently they thrive in Florida’s tropical heat as well as Minnesota’s sub-zero winters.

My first thought while watching these colorful birds was that we shouldn’t cut down all the dead trees that provide them with food, shelter, and playgrounds.

Then I realized this was a great opportunity to compare the red mustache and forehead of the male with the black mustache and forehead of the female.

Watching the chips fly as they hammered away at their nest cavity, I reflected on the wonders of nature’s designs. These birds bang their heads against hard trees at 15 – 20 miles an hour. (It’s been measured!) If you or I did that just a time or two, or three, our brains would be scrambled and we’d soon be dead. But woodpeckers have been estimated to do this without injury as many as 12,000 times a day while building nest cavities, drilling for food (grubs and ants), and drumming for mates. How do they manage?

The secret, researchers tell us, is in the woodpecker’s skull, beak, and a special neckbone, the hyoid bone, all designed to absorb the energy of 1,000 G concussive impacts and dissipate it harmlessly as heat. Additionally the pileated woodpecker’s five inch tongue wraps around inside the skull when not in use and supplies a shock absorber around the brain. A special tough transparent membrane closes over the eye during each impact. This acts as a sling to keep the eyes from blowing out and also excluding flying debris.

Isn’t it marvelous that we can see nature’s complex design in action just by taking a walk in a local park. And keep in mind that it comes in a beautiful package.