PAUL BANNICK didn’t should persuade me to be wild about woodpeckers, as a result of I already am—totally so. These charismatic, hardworking birds make outsized ecological contributions to the environments they inhabit, and to the opposite creatures that they share them with. And the extra you find out about them, the extra astonishing they grow to be.
Paul’ Bannick‘s new e book is “Woodpecker: A 12 months within the Lifetime of North American Woodpeckers” (affiliate hyperlink) and he’s an award-winning creator and wildlife photographer primarily based in Seattle who is targeted on the pure historical past of North America, and specifically on the conservation of birds and their habitat. He’s written a number of earlier books about owls, a particular ardour of his, and now one on woodpeckers. (Above, the northern red-shafted flicker; picture from the e book.)
Plus: Remark within the field close to the underside of the web page for an opportunity to win his new e book.
Learn alongside as you hearken to the Oct. 27, 2025 version of my public-radio present and podcast utilizing the participant under. You possibly can subscribe to all future editions on Apple Podcasts (iTunes) or Spotify (and browse my archive of podcasts right here).
woodpeckers, with paul bannick
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Margaret Roach: Not that I like birds or something, Paul [laughter]. The e book is spectacular. I imply, it’s so information-filled, however the footage, after all; your pictures is simply, wow, as a result of I don’t know all these species. What’s it; what number of species are there in North America—41 North American species?
Paul Bannick: There as soon as have been 43, however we misplaced two of them, so now we’ve 41.
Margaret: And so loads of them have been unfamiliar to me, and I simply was looking at a few of their lovely little selves, and not-so-little selves in some circumstances. So I learn within the new e book that it was your first hen—or was it simply your first woodpecker once you have been a boy?—it was a flicker, I believe. Was that the story?
Paul: Nicely, it was the primary hen to captivate me. Birds have been…I appreciated them, I hesitate to say passively, however I appreciated them within the passing as with different animals, till that northern flicker hopped in the direction of me within the leaves of the yard, and I spotted it wasn’t a robin as I noticed it’s polka-dotted stomach and its crimson crescent and its crimson malar. I used to be actually surprised.
Margaret: Proper. And also you being within the Northwest, I’m within the Northeast. I’ve, I believe what’s known as the yellow-shafted flicker, the one the place if you happen to see it from beneath, you see slightly little bit of yellow. Is yours crimson, slightly little bit of reddish beneath, or what’s the-?
Paul: Yeah, ours is the northern red-shafted [photo, top of page]. Nicely, it’s attention-grabbing due to the place we’re geographically, we get additionally what are known as intergrade between the red-shafted and the yellow-shafted. As a result of the 2 subspecies—they’re in actual fact, not totally different species, although they give the impression of being fairly totally different—are separated by the jap fringe of the mountains and extra importantly by the Nice Plains.
And in that, let’s assume rain shadow of the Rocky Mountains, there’s an intergrade zone. And for the reason that Rocky Mountains transfer north and west, that intergrade zone goes from Texas as much as central B.C., and sparkles which might be in snowy areas typically migrate. And so these from British Columbia migrate down into Seattle and generally so far as Portland. So these of us in Seattle and Vancouver, B.C., can see intergrades [photo of an intergrade one, below] with all totally different sorts of mixes, a few of them fairly unreal trying.
Margaret: Oh, that’s great. That’s very attention-grabbing to a woodpecker nut [laughter]. So what number of species, I imply, are there the place you reside? We stated there’s 41 in North America—and what you outline, I believe North America as within the e book is from the Arctic to the Caribbean. Is that right?
Paul: Precisely, together with the most important Caribbean islands and Mexico. Within the park close to my home there’s the northern flicker, the furry woodpecker, the downy woodpecker, the red-breasted sapsucker, and the pileated woodpecker. However inside an hour and a half, you may additionally add in red-naped sapsucker, Williamson’s sapsucker, black-backed woodpecker, American three-toed woodpecker, white-headed woodpecker, and Lewis’s woodpecker. So you may get 10, presumably even 11 species, inside an hour of Seattle.
Margaret: Wow. See right here I’ve six who’re all the time right here. We don’t have the red-bellied sapsucker, we’ve the yellow, and they’re persistent; they’re right here all 12 months spherical, proper the place I’m. They don’t migrate. I believe it’s one of many woodpeckers that generally migrates, however they keep right here. So I’ve them within the winter, too. And I may be mistaken in regards to the migration factor.
However then there’s throughout the river, the Hudson River, an hour away, there’s the red-headed. In order that’d be the seventh one, if I needed to journey an hour, that I may see, however not 10. Wow. Cool [laughter].
Paul: Yeah, it’s wonderful.
Margaret: I do know that Steven Shunk, who in 2016 wrote the e book “Peterson Reference Information to Woodpeckers of North America,” has known as woodpeckers a keystone species, that means like that all-important center stone in an archway, they’re an organism in an ecosystem that if you happen to take away it, stuff begins to crumble. So can we discuss that—a few of the ways in which that’s true? As a result of I believe that’s the factor: Folks might acknowledge a woodpecker of their yard or within the park or no matter, however they could not know the way essential these creatures are. [Below, a Williamson’s sapsucker at work.]
Paul: Sure. I’ll go as far as to say that woodpeckers are an important catalyst in forested techniques and techniques with giant cactuses in North America to take techniques from being new timber to being productive, full ecosystems.
And I’ll make that daring assertion, after which say it’s as a result of they’re a keystone species, and a keystone species being a species who adjustments its atmosphere in a method that’s inordinately higher than the numbers may recommend, and constructive for the range of wildlife.
And that comes not simply from the truth that a flicker within the Pacific Northwest will create a nest cavity that will function a nest cavity for 30 totally different animals, but in addition sapsuckers who drill wells within the spring that serve the meals wants of hummingbirds all through North America once they migrate north and little different meals is offered. To the truth that once they excavate cavities both for nests or roosts, they assist in the method of decomposing wooden and returning vitamins to the soil and maintaining the soil moist. To the truth that they serve in some ecosystems as seed-dispersers and pollinators.
So that they achieve this a lot. However I believe it’s essential once we take into consideration ecosystems in North America to do not forget that each single one is ephemeral, that means continuously altering. Virtually each one begins off as an open space. Possibly it’s a meadow or a savannah, possibly it’s a wildflower lot. And it fills in with timber first, normally issues like alder, birch or aspen. After which bigger timber are available in, and possibly it’s a conifer, like a pine tree or an oak tree. After which over time, or with elevated moisture or elevated elevation, that fills in with firs and different timber.
And what begins at savannah turns into a woodland, that means 25 p.c cover to 50 p.c cover, after which turns into a forest with greater than 50 p.c cover. After which that forest is ultimately disrupted by both fireplace or storms and opens up once more and turns into an open habitat.
And at every stage in that transformation, because the timber develop up, they don’t have as many defects in them. However what the woodpeckers do is that they detect these defects, they detect the bugs, they make the most of them, and within the course of make the habitat richer by offering properties, by offering meals, and with their calls and their noises and their washes of colour. It’s actually fairly exceptional.
Margaret: Yeah, they’re. You write within the e book that in Spanish, within the Spanish language, they’re known as pajaros carpinteros, carpenter birds [laughter]. So let’s discuss how a few of their very particular physiological traits enable them to do all that form of high-powered woodworking with out knocking themselves unconscious, or worse.
Paul: Sure. This how woodpeckers drum so onerous on such stable surfaces has been investigated with totally different conclusions for so long as I’ve been alive. And NASA and the N.F.L. have seemed into the traits of the woodpecker’s cranium and what does it do to form the mind.
Margaret: Just like the N.F.L. for serving to in making higher helmets—they seemed on the woodpeckers for inspiration for helmet design.
Paul: Precisely. And lots of of these earlier research checked out just a few issues: One, that it has a spongy cranium that absorbs a few of the vibrations. Two, that it has a tongue that in some species is sort of lengthy, that’s actually wrapped across the mind to carry the mind in place so it’s not sloshing as a lot. And three, they’ve the orientation of the invoice to the mind, to the cranium, that’s such that the vibrations have a tendency to maneuver over and below the mind moderately than immediately on the mind by the way in which it’s fitted into the cranium.
After which they’ve strengthened ribs.
After which lastly in addition they have shields of their nostrils. And the extra a woodpecker is concerned in excavation, the extra its nostrils are primarily blocked by rises within the invoice that defend any supplies from getting within the invoice.
What’s attention-grabbing although, Margaret, is current analysis has urged that whereas all these issues have an effect, one of the crucial essential elements is that woodpeckers have comparatively small brains. [Laughter.] I do know, it’s actually humorous. Now, all these different issues in all probability play a job, however their smaller mind signifies that they get much less impression from these concussive forces.
Margaret: And the opposite method—and you may see this simply their general form relative to many different kinds of birds—the way in which their tail is shaped and the place it’s in and the way they put it to use as form of an anchor in a method. And people ft, they’re sturdy. They’re on that focus on, proper? They’re actually there.
Paul: Sure. I all the time get a kick out of getting climbers watch woodpeckers on a tree in sluggish movement, as a result of as any good climber will envy the three factors of contact to the woodpecker: the stiff tail, which holds them from falling down the tree, after which two outsized ft that cling to the tree with toes for which they’ll change place on the tree, relying on the kind of exercise they’re engaged in. In the event that they perch, they may put two toes in entrance and two behind. In the event that they’re excavating, they could put three up and one behind. One of many issues is once they’re clinging to that tree and so they’re braced for transferring down with their tail and so they’re held onto the tree with their ft, they swing their head again so far as they’ll, after which they direct the drive on the tree.
And also you’ll additionally discover once they’re doing that, their head is formed like a hammer, and so they exert that drive on the tree. However in some methods, the hallux, that final toe, is holding the hen again from going additional and exerting extra drive.
So two of the birds that do probably the most excavating, the American three-toed woodpecker and the black-backed woodpecker, have truly developed to lose that hallux and solely have three toes, until they’re known as three-toed woodpeckers, as they spend extra time excavating. Different woodpeckers which might be heavier add a fourth level, which is the heel, otherwise you would take a look at it, it’s just like the knee or the elbow of the legs, to additionally make contact with the tree. So it’s fascinating to observe how every of the woodpeckers deploys these instruments in climbing and dealing on the tree. [Below, black-backed woodpecker fledgling.]
Margaret: Yeah, the carpenter birds. So we should always say that they each drill, or excavate, however in addition they drum with these chisel-shaped beaks or no matter. I imply, what’s the drumming about, versus excavating? As a result of right here the place I’m within the Northeast, it begins very early. It begins even earlier than spring is technically right here, or earlier than the vegetation even appear to assume it’s spring, I hear the drumming starting. So what’s that every one about?
Paul: Yeah, within the early spring, we hear birds sing, and birds are singing, together with woodpeckers, to primarily promote their presence, each to mates and to rivals. Woodpeckers do one higher by singing, but in addition screaming. They’ve very loud, shrill or trilling calls, however in addition they drum. And the drumming, similar to the singing and the intense colours, and the males particularly do have vibrant colours, are supposed to present their vitality to potential mates and their energy to potential opponents.
And what’s attention-grabbing is woodpeckers over time will go searching their atmosphere for probably the most resonant locations to drum, and so they need to discover a resonant floor, but in addition a comparatively excessive resonant floor to allow them to let as many potential mates and as many potential rivals as attainable know the way spectacular they’re.
It’s common for woodpeckers in cities to search out steel chimneys, or utility poles, or park indicators. And even as soon as I discovered in Jamaica…[laughter] it’s truly form of a joke. I used to be in Jamaica and I used to be on the lookout for the Jamaican woodpecker, and a person stated, effectively, “They’ve been ruining my clothesline poles, so I needed to scare them away.” And I stated, “Are you able to present me?” And he took me to the place the garments have been hung, and he stated, “See, I put these right here.” And he put espresso cans on prime of every of the poles. After which he laughed. He walked away chuckling to himself, and simply then rat-a-tat-tat, the woodpecker jumped on the espresso cans and so they liked it. It made a fair louder noise.
Margaret: [Laughter.] Oh, that’ll present him. Yeah, once they drum, it’s wonderful. It’s, as you say, resonant. I imply it actually, actually resounds. And so they produce other form of distinctive issues. I imply, the flight sample even is distinctive to my eye. They form of swoop in a method, I don’t know; that’s in all probability not a very good phrase, however are you aware what I imply?
Paul: I do, yeah.
Margaret: The way in which they transfer is totally different.
Paul: Most woodpeckers have an undulating flight, and it’s like they’re bouncing up and down by the air, and that’s brought on by alternating wing beats. They alternate between having their wings out or flapping, and holding their wings towards their physique. So once they’re flapping, they’re rising, and once they pull their wings in, they’re falling. And so they’re doing that at roughly a steady fee. So they give the impression of being nearly like musical notes going throughout the web page, or like a flat coronary heart fee. They’re actually distinctive. And there’s solely a few different birds that make a flight fairly like that. So normally if you happen to see that undulating flight, it’s a woodpecker.
Margaret: You write within the e book, within the new e book, about numerous different facets of their lives. I believe you talked about, for instance, that almost all are non-migratory species. That’s true, sure? That’s right?
Paul: It’s actually attention-grabbing. Woodpeckers will not be excellent dispersers, which is why within the Caribbean islands, as an example, in lots of circumstances, every island has their very own endemic woodpecker. There’s six endemics within the Caribbean islands. However it additionally means they’re not likely nice at migrating.
And actually, there are 4 species, or truly say there’s 5 – 6 species, that nest within the Arctic in Alaska and Canada, and all of them however one keep on these territories year-round. Those that don’t migrate are the furry, the downy, the black-backed, the three-toed and the pileated. The one which migrates is the yellow-bellied sapsucker, as a result of its sap freezes. So all of our sapsuckers, and we’ve 4 sapsuckers in North America, all of them migrate to 1 diploma or one other. However the one one which’s an obligate migrant is your yellow-bellied sapsucker, that migrate away within the winter from nearly each location, besides there’s just a few locales the place they don’t. And so they migrate once more in anticipation of the sap freezing. And so they typically migrate, not solely are they compulsory migrants, however they migrate a protracted distance, down into the Caribbean and Mexico.
Sparkles are facultative migrants, and the sparkles do loads of floor feeding. So if there’s deep, persistent snow, they’ll migrate through the winter. However a few of the different sapsuckers are facultative migrants, and a few of the northern ones migrate; a few of the southern ones don’t. Up within the Pacific Northwest, our red-breasted sapsucker migrates elevationally, longitudinally. It migrates from the mountains down into the lowlands.
And all the different woodpeckers in North America are roughly year-round on a territory with some refined up-and-down actions on a slope in pursuit of meals, the place they could transfer at most a thousand ft or much less.
Margaret: Yeah. I’m in a kind of locations on the migration map for the yellow-bellied the place they don’t go anyplace. It’s hilarious. It’s prefer it’s the precise spot the place they don’t, apparently. [Laughter.]
Paul: Fortunate you.
Margaret: It’s form of nutty to see them within the winter, however at any fee, they have to prefer it right here.
One of many different traits you discuss, you say most species are monogamous inside a single season, however that the pileated [above] may even be monogamous, have the identical companion, over a number of seasons. Which I believed was form of lovable since that’s a hen that I see most days and am loopy about, and helps me with coping with all my lifeless and dying timber and loves feasting on them.
And that’s one of many issues we’ve carried out to hurt woodpeckers as we form of erase lifeless and dying timber from our panorama. We’re so into cleanliness, and people are timber which might be actually essential. And it’s a disgrace that individuals take that wooden away as a result of boy, oh boy, the woodpeckers adore it [laughter]. Yeah.
So that you discuss their monogamy, and naturally they’re cavity nesters, which we talked about earlier than. Do they use these cavities within the winter, as a result of we stated lots of them keep within the winter the place they’re resident.
Paul: Yeah. I imply, one of many causes woodpeckers are such an essential keystone species just isn’t solely do they make a nest cavity, however they make a number of nest cavities, and lots of begins. A few of these begins are accomplished in later years. A few of these begins are utilized by younger, the younger of the 12 months, as roosts, and even by the adults themselves as roosts.
So yearly they make a number of cavities, and those that aren’t utilized by woodpeckers may be utilized by wrens or chickadees or nuthatches or different birds or squirrels through the winter.
And the opposite factor is loads of woodpeckers probe. So that they’re continuously pecking and licking into holes to search out meals, and most of the holes that may host their meals are the holes created by these woodpeckers themselves.
And again to the thought of monogamy and woodpeckers: Most woodpeckers are monogamous to a point, with the diploma of monogamy associated to how a lot they transfer. So the downys, the hairys, the pileateds are in all probability all monogamous so long as the mate survives, however they don’t essentially dwell that lengthy. Fascinating factor, as you talked about about pileateds, is the pair, not solely are they monogamous year-round, however they really forage collectively year-round.
Margaret: They do certainly. I adore it.
Paul: Which is exclusive. After which the pale-billed in Mexico, the younger even forage with the dad and mom for as much as a 12 months.
Margaret: Talking of foraging, what do woodpeckers eat? The sparkles appear to go scooting across the garden like that robin you thought it was once you have been slightly boy, on the lookout for ants. What do they eat? What’s the food regimen? Is it a variety? [Above, the northern yellow-shafted flicker with young.]
Paul: It’s a fantastic query. Woodpeckers eat a variety of meals. Essentially the most dominant meals are ants, adopted by beetle larvae, adopted by flying bugs, with totally different species, significantly totally different genuses, interested in totally different households of bugs. However you may say first they’re bugs, then they’re fruit, after which there’s sap and there’s slightly little bit of carrion—meat they could discover, and that’s why some woodpecker species will take to suet.
There are specialists: The glint makes a speciality of carpenter ants, and ants basically. And there’s three species of sparkles in North America, and so they all specialise in totally different sorts of ants. Now, pileated woodpeckers—and I ought to say even the specialists are versatile and opportunistic—so sparkles within the fall will feed on fruit, reminiscent of dogwood fruit and cherries and apples, and so they’ll feed on crane flies in individuals’s lawns, extremely opportunistic when ants aren’t there. And in Cuba, they shift relying on the dry or moist season between floor ants and tree ants.
Pileated woodpeckers specialise in carpenter ants, and even handle the availability of carpenter ants to verify they’ve sustenance within the winter. So through the breeding season, there’s some proof to recommend that they have an inclination in the direction of different meals when accessible to allow them to keep these colonies of carpenter ants to get them by the winter. However just like the pileated, within the fall, proper about now, they’re going to be feasting on dogwood fruit and sumac fruit, and the rest they’ll discover.
Margaret: Nicely, Paul Bannick, the brand new e book—I actually am having fun with it. I’m so glad to talk to you, and I’m hoping, seeing about all of your different owl books, that sometime we’re going to do that and discuss owls, as a result of they’re one other fascination right here. So that may be actually enjoyable if you happen to’d be prepared to try this someday.
Paul: I’d like to do it, Margaret.
(All photographs by Paul Bannick from “Woodpecker;” used with permission.)
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