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Woodpeckers

Woodpeckers, part of the family Picidae which includes piculets, wrynecks, and sapsuckers, are found globally except in Australia, New Guinea, New Zealand, Madagascar, and the extreme polar regions. These birds primarily inhabit forests, but some can live in treeless areas like deserts, and the Gila woodpecker has even adapted to cacti. Recognized for pecking at tree trunks to forage for insects and larvae, woodpeckers communicate by drumming on trees, a sound audible from a distance. Their diets can include fruits, small animals, tree sap, and human scraps. Woodpeckers nest in holes they excavate in trees, which become habitats for other species once abandoned. Occasionally, woodpeckers come into conflict with humans by drilling into buildings or feeding on crops. The Picidae family, belonging to the Piciformes order, encompasses about 240 species in 35 genera, with nearly 20 species at risk of extinction because of habitat loss. Woodpeckers possess varied sizes, ranging from the tiny bar-breasted piculet to the large great slaty woodpecker; their plumage too varies from drab for camouflage to conspicuous patterns with bold colors. Notably sexually dimorphic, these birds have zygodactyl feet (two toes facing forward and two back), enabling them to grasp tree trunks for vertical movement. These adaptations, along with their strong claws, legs, and stiffened tail feathers (except for piculets and wrynecks), allow for efficient climbing and pecking. Their beaks are strong and adapted for drumming and drilling, while their tongues are long and sticky, aiding in extracting food from crevices. Woodpeckers protect their brains from the impact of pecking through several anatomical adaptations. They also exhibit various flight patterns, are mostly sedentary, and prefer forests but can adapt to other habitats. Woodpeckers engage in different behaviors, with some living solitarily while others form groups. Communication involves drumming and a range of vocal calls, with drumming serving as a territorial signal and part of courtship rituals. Most species feed on insects and invertebrates under bark and wood, playing a crucial ecological role in forest health by controlling pests. Breeding involves cavity nesting, mostly in trees, and they are predominantly monogamous, sometimes with cooperative breeding habits. The survival of woodpeckers is closely tied to the availability of trees for nesting and feeding. Multiple studies have looked into the woodpecker's resistance to head injury from pecking, noting adaptations like spongy bone structure and uneven beak lengths that absorb impact energy. Furthermore, researchers have found tau protein accumulations in woodpeckers, akin to what is seen in human CTE, though the implications of this are not fully understood.

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African & New World Parrots
Albatrosses
Anhingas, Darters
Antbirds
Antpittas
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Auks
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Bushtits
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Cardinals & Allies
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Cuckoos
Dippers
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Jacanas
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Leaf Warblers & Allies
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Manakins
Mitrospingid Tanagers
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Motmots
New World Barbets
New World Quail
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Oilbird
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Olive Warbler
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Potoos
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Rails, Crakes & Coots
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Sapayoa
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Skuas
Spindalises
Starlings, Rhabdornis
Stilts, Avocets
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Sunbittern
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Tanagers & Allies
Tapaculos
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Thrush-tanager
Tinamous
Tits, Chickadees
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Toucan Barbets
Toucans
Treecreepers
Trogons
Tropicbirds
Tyrant Flycatchers, Calyptura
Vireos, Greenlets, Shrike-babblers
Wagtails, Pipits
Waxbills, Munias & Allies
Waxwings

Woodpeckers

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Wrenthrush
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Species Categories

African & New World Parrots

Albatrosses

Anhingas, Darters

Antbirds

Antpittas

Antthrushes

Auks

Austral Storm Petrels

Barn Owls

Black-capped Donacobius

Bushtits

Caracaras, Falcons

Cardinals & Allies

Chachalacas, Curassows, Guans

Chats, Old World Flycatchers

Cormorants, Shags

Cotingas

Cranes

Crows, Jays

Cuckoos

Dippers

Ducks, Geese, Swans

Finches, Euphonias

Finfoots

Flamingos

Frigatebirds

Gannets, Boobies

Gnatcatchers

Gnateaters

Goldcrests, Kinglets

Grebes

Gulls, Terns, Skimmers

Herons, Bitterns

Hummingbirds

Ibises, Spoonbills

Jacamars

Jacanas

Kingfishers

Kites, Hawks, Eagles

Larks

Leaf Warblers & Allies

Limpkin

Longspurs, Snow Buntings

Loons

Manakins

Mitrospingid Tanagers

Mockingbirds, Thrashers

Motmots

New World Barbets

New World Quail

New World Sparrows

New World Vultures

New World Warblers

Nightjars

Northern Storm Petrels

Nuthatches

Oilbird

Old World Sparrows, Snowfinches

Olive Warbler

Oropendolas, Orioles, Blackbirds

Ospreys

Ovenbirds

Owls

Oystercatchers

Parrotbills & Allies

Pelicans

Penduline Tits

Penguins

Petrels, Shearwaters, Diving Petrels

Pheasants & Allies

Pigeons, Doves

Plovers

Potoos

Puffbirds

Rails, Crakes & Coots

Sandpipers, Snipes

Sapayoa

Shrikes

Silky-flycatchers

Skuas

Spindalises

Starlings, Rhabdornis

Stilts, Avocets

Stone-curlews, Thick-knees

Storks

Sunbittern

Swallows, Martins

Swifts

Tanagers & Allies

Tapaculos

Thrushes

Thrush-tanager

Tinamous

Tits, Chickadees

Tityras, Becards, Sharpbill

Toucan Barbets

Toucans

Treecreepers

Trogons

Tropicbirds

Tyrant Flycatchers, Calyptura

Vireos, Greenlets, Shrike-babblers

Wagtails, Pipits

Waxbills, Munias & Allies

Waxwings

Woodpeckers

Wrens

Wrenthrush

Yellow-breasted Chat

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