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Friday, 25 April 2014

Do you know what a pileated woodpecker sounds like?

Sady does! This pair were warning her! This was in Muskoka.
 

This one, below, I caught bashing its head on the tree, looking for bugs. My friend, Nancy, explains that its tongue goes back up behind its brain, to protect it when it is hammering.
Read more of her post here:

The Woodpecker's Tongue

They are so well adapted to the task. With beaks that are so hard they rival iron, thick spongy skull bones and a rather small brain that floats in cerebral fluids rather than being encased in fluid, they are well set-up to transfer the shock of striking the tree away from the brain.
It's one of her most popular posts!

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2 comments:

  1. William Kendall25 April 2014 at 16:58

    I didn't know that about their tongues!

    I remember sitting with one that flew into the window, to keep the cats away. The woodpecker looked quite dazed, but beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Red25 April 2014 at 19:18

    My story is that they sound like a shingler from the old days when shinglers hammered nails. Do you get the drift?

    ReplyDelete

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