Woodpecker Facts

Woodpeckers are known for tapping on tree trunks in order to find insects living in crevices in the bark and to excavate nest cavities. There are over 180 species of woodpeckers, all in the family Picidae.

Diet

Woodpeckers primarily eat insects, along with fruit, acorns and nuts.

Population

Due to their international dispersal, overall woodpecker population numbers are unknown. There have been reported sightings of at least one ivory-billed woodpecker in the last five years, while red-cockaded woodpecker populations are estimated to between 5,000 and 10,000 individuals throughout its range.

Range

Woodpeckers can be found in wooded areas all over the world, except in Australia. The ivory-billed woodpecker was rediscovered in Arkansas in 2006. According to scientists, there may be a second population in the cypress forests of Florida’s panhandle. The red-cockaded woodpecker can be found through the southeast of the United States from Texas to the Atlantic Coast and north to Virginia. See a range woodpecker map >>

Behavior

The woodpecker's strong, pointed beak acts as both a chisel and a crowbar to remove bark and find hiding insects. It has a very long tongue, up to four inches in some species - with a glue-like substance on the tip for catching insects.

While most birds have one toe pointing back and three pointing forward on each foot, woodpeckers have two sharply clawed toes pointing in each direction to help them grasp the sides of trees and balance while they hammer - this formation is called zygodactal feet. Many woodpecker species also have stiffened tail feathers, which they press against a tree surface to help support their weight.

Woodpeckers live in wooded areas and forests, where they tap on tree trunks in order to find insects living in crevices in the bark and to excavate nest cavities. Some species drum on trees to communicate to other woodpeckers and as a part of their courtship behavior. Woodpeckers tap an estimated 8,000-12,000 times per day. Some species require very specific conditions for their home. For example, the red-cockaded woodpecker can only live in mature pine forests in the southeastern United States.

Reproduction
Mating Season: Varies by species.
Gestation: Varies by species.
Clutch size Around 4 eggs.
Male and female woodpeckers work together to excavate a cavity in a tree that is used as a nest and to incubate eggs for about two weeks. When a woodpecker hatches, it is blind and does not have any feathers. One parent brings food to the nest while the other parent stays with the young. The young generally leave the nest after 25-30 days.

Climate Change and Other Threats

Threats to woodpeckers include loss of habitat, human encroachment, and pesticides.

Climate change may also pose a direct threat to woodpeckers and their habitats. For instance, Francis Marion National Forest, which at the time held the largest population of red-cockaded woodpeckers, suffered a direct hit by Hurricane Hugo in 1989 destroyed 87% of the nesting cavity trees within the Forest. And in 2001, Kentucky’s population of red-cockadeds was destroyed following a devastating outbreak of the southern pine beetle. Drought stress, beetle outbreaks and increases in the frequency and severity of forest fires could reduce the availability of mature forest that most species of woodpeckers need.

Reasons For Hope

Read two Defenders Magazine articles that give hope for threatened woodpeckers:

• "Wild Life: Hope Flies in Arkansas," about the Ivory-billed woodpecker, thought to be extinct, discovered in Arkansas.
• "On the Ground: Pecking up the Pieces," about restoring a group of red-cockaded woodpeckers in a National Wildlife Refuge after their habitat was destroyed by hurricane Katrina.

Legal Status/Protection

• Endangered Species Act (ESA): The Imperial, Ivory-Billed, Tristram's, and Red-Cockaded woodpeckers are all listed as endangered. Five others are a species of concern, and two are under review.
• IUCN Red List: The Imperial, Ivory-Billed, Kaempfer's, Okinawa woodpeckers are listed as critically endangered. The Fernandina's, Arabian, Sulu, Helmeted, and Red-cockaded are listed as vulnerable.
• CITES: The Imperial, Tristam's, and a subspecies of the White-bellied woodpecker are listed in Appendix I.
• Learn more about legal status and protection of woodpeckers >>

How You Can Help

• Help woodpeckers and other wildlife by adopting an animal at our Wildlife Adoption Center.
• Take Action for Wildlife at our Wildlife Action Center.