Woodpeckers are found worldwide and include about 180 species (including the
famous ivory-billed). Woodpeckers are best known for making holes in trees to
find insects to eat. They have short legs, sharp-clawed toes and stiff tails.
They live all over North America. They generally prefer to live in the woods,
though some types also live in gardens and the countryside. There are almost 180
species of woodpecker living in this world. They are most abundant in South America
and Southeast Asia.
They vary in size and on average they live from 4-11
years. They range up to a maximum length of 19 to 21 inches and weighs up to 1
to 1.25 pounds. Woodpeckers gained their English name because of the habit of
some species of tapping and pecking noisily on tree trunks with their beaks.
Woodpeckers eat mainly insects, which they reach by making holes in tree bark.
They also consume fruit, acorns, nuts vegetable matter, berries, or tree sap.
Woodpeckers have long, sticky tongues that trap insects. Woodpeckers communicate
with others by drumming on the tree. A woodpecker will tap approximately 8000-12000
times per day on a tree.
Woodpeckers also use their beaks to create larger
holes for their nests which are 15-45 cm (6-18 inches) below the opening. These
nests are includes material only with wood chips and hold 2-8 white eggs laid
by the females so that eggs be safe from other
