Animals, bird, photography challenge

Photography Challenge Day #114

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Interesting facts about woodpecker:

  1. There are more than 180 species of woodpeckers worldwide, but none of them are found in Australia, Madagascar or New Zealand.
  2. A woodpecker’s tongue is up to 4 inches long depending on the species, and it wraps around the skull. Many woodpeckers have barbed tongues that help them extract bugs from trees and holes.
  3. Most woodpeckers have zygodactyl feet, which means they have toes facing the front and toes facing the back to help them grip trees and poles vertically.
  4. The average life span of a wild woodpecker can last from 4-11 years, depending on the species.
  5. Woodpeckers don’t get headaches from pecking. They have reinforced skulls structured to spread the impact force, and their brains are tightly cushioned and protected.
  6. Between feeding, excavating nest cavities and drumming, woodpeckers can peck up to 20 times per second, or a total of 8,000-12,000 pecks per day.