Key Facts About Woodpeckers:
- There are more than 180 species of woodpeckers in the world, all of which belong to the family Picidae.
- Woodpeckers’ famous moniker comes from its characteristic pecking on the trunks of trees, a behavior that helps it locate insects that live in the tree bark.
- The woodpecker also pecks out cavities to use for nesting.
- Woodpeckers are found on every continent in the world except for Oceania like Australia and New Zealand.
- Interestingly, the woodpecker is endowed with bristle-like feathers that shields its nostrils from wood particles so that it doesn’t inhale any debris as it pecks.
- Woodpeckers peck an average of 8,000 to 12,000 times daily.
