A pileated woodpecker foraging among conifers. Photo by Maya Walters |
When foraging, woodpeckers perch on tree trunks and listen carefully for the sound of an unsuspecting insect moving just under the bark. When an insect is detected, the woodpecker quickly drills into the bark and uses its long tongue to extract its prey. Most woodpeckers are just as likely to hunt for insects on coniferous trees as on deciduous trees. Several species do prefer to forage on standing dead trees, where there are always large numbers of wood-boring insects. |
| Not only do woodpeckers help the forest by consuming many pests such as bark beetles, they also provide essential nesting holes for other animals. These holes created by foraging woodpeckers are especially important to songbirds, and they are constantly in demand for nesting sites. Red squirrels and flying squirrels also compete for the use of these holes. Unfortunately, humans often remove the standing dead trees in a forest, which are the trees that contain the largest numbers of these notches. |
woodpeckers -- page 2 of 4
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related topics
[insects] [temperate forests] [coniferous forests] [pests] [mammals] [threats to forests]
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