What Are Key Facts About Woodpeckers?

Photo: Fyn Kynd Photography / Flickr
Photo: Fyn Kynd Photography / Flickr

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.