Missouri's Woodpeckers

In the quiet stillness of the forest, a sudden burst of sound shatters the tranquility. It is the rhythmic drumming of a woodpecker, nature’s master carpenter. Its unmistakable sound and impressive adaptations makes the woodpecker a captivating subject of study for bird enthusiasts and scientists alike.

According to the International Ornithological Committee, 240 species of woodpeckers have been identified in wooded areas around the world, except in the Oceania Region of the globe, which includes Australia and New Guinea. Depending on the season, there are seven species of woodpeckers in Missouri: downy, hairy, northern flicker, pileated, red-bellied, red-headed, and yellow-bellied sapsuckers.

The ability to distinguish one species from another is most easily done by identifying their plumage colors and patterns, relative to their body size. Coloring typically consists of brown, black, grey, and white, with a splash of their signature red, most frequently found on their nape, throats, or crown. Patterns vary from barring and spotting to stripes and bands.

When in flight, woodpeckers, such as the pileated, red-headed, and northern flicker, reveal patches on the wings, tail, or rump. For example, the yellow-shafted type of northern flicker displays bright-yellow coloring on its wings and tail feathers. Downy and hairy woodpeckers are often mistaken for each other because of their similar markings. However, the downies are the smallest species of woodpeckers in North America. Hairy woodpeckers are larger, with a longer, stouter bill.

Telling male and female woodpeckers apart can be difficult unless you know where to look. The male pileated, hairy, and downy woodpeckers have more prominent red markings than the females. Pileated males have red mustaches while northern flicker males found in Missouri have black mustachelike streaks. Red-bellied males have a wide red band that stretches over their crown to their nape, while females only have the red marking across their nape. Yellow-bellied sapsucker females have white throats, while the males’ throats have red. As for red-headed woodpeckers, it is nearly impossible to distinguish between the sexes without close-up investigation.

Cool Tools

Woodpeckers are unique in that they are often found scaling tall trees with the help of their zygodactyl feet. This means they have two toes pointing forward and two back, which helps them maintain a firm grip on vertical surfaces. They use their stiff tail feathers to help brace themselves as they move up and down trees. Woodpeckers have a built-in stud finder to hear when an insect is beneath bark or in a hollow part of a tree. They do this by drumming on its surface, much like when you tap a hammer on a wall to find a hidden stud.

Once an insect is located, woodpeckers use a whole system of unique tools to finish the job. Their chisel-shaped beaks, powered by their strong neck muscles, drive beneath the tree bark. Their thick but spongy skull acts as a shock-absorber, spreading and absorbing the impact of the harsh blows to protect the brain. Next, to retrieve insects from a tree, the woodpecker uses the bristle tip of its long tongue. Northern flickers are documented as having the longest tongues, which can extend 2 inches past the tip of the bill.

Comical Communicators

Woodpeckers communicate by drumming, vocal calls, and aggressive displays. Male woodpeckers proclaim their territories by drumming a loud rapid sequence on a dead branch or hollow tree. You may have even heard them drumming on the side of your house, rain gutter, or another metal surface. This behavior can be deterred with the use of balloon scare-eyes or shiny, colorful streamers, known as mylar tape, placed slightly above an area a woodpecker has damaged.

When males and females pair up during mating season, they may drum back and forth, duet-style. Some species tap on certain suitable nest sites as part of the courtship ritual. Aggressive displays often used by woodpeckers to defend their territories or feeding sites usually involve rapid head movements such as bowing, bobbing, turning side to side or back and forth, or pointing their bill up. To appear larger, they ruffle their head feathers or partially spread their tail feathers and wings.

Many species of woodpeckers will show off for prospective mates by fluttering or floating while in flight. Their initial, aggressive displays may appear hostile, but in time, the sexes become more tolerant of each other.

Home Sweet Habitat

Woodpecker diets primarily consist of insects, nuts, fruits, and sap. Many of these insects are potential timber pests, which left unchecked, can be severely problematic. Species like the northern flicker may feed on the ground, while others, like the red-headed woodpecker, will catch insects in flight. Most woodpeckers will forage for wood-boring insects in trunks and limbs, and while excavating nest cavities.

Every woodpecker species found in Missouri nests and roosts in holes they usually create themselves. Unlike a typical bird nest, a woodpecker’s nest cavity provides enough shelter to raise their young, so there is no need to carry in many twigs and common nesting materials. Instead, they will often line it with a few wood chips for the eggs to rest on.

The average number of eggs in each clutch is between four and six. Red-headed woodpeckers, however, can lay three to 10 eggs per brood, one to two times per year. Most species only lay one brood per year, unlike the red-bellied woodpecker, which can lay one to three broods per year. Incubation of the eggs can take as little as 10–12 days for most species, and as many as 14–18 days for others. The male and female take turns incubating the eggs. The female takes most of the day shift while the male takes the night shift, and both bring food back to the young in the nest.

Both the male and female guard the nest from dangers such as snakes and other predators that will try to eat the eggs and chicks. Starlings and other birds often try to take over or cohabitate the cavity for their own brood. An average of 24 days after hatching, fledging begins to take place. Fledging is when a bird’s wings have developed enough to attempt to fly.

Essential to the Ecosystem

Woodpeckers are fascinating and unique birds that have adapted to their environment in remarkable ways. From their specialized anatomy to their distinctive drumming behavior, woodpeckers play an important role in Missouri’s diverse ecosystems.

Species such as bluebirds, eastern screech-owls, American kestrels, and squirrels depend on woodpeckers’ old nest cavities for their own nests. Although yellow-bellied sapsucker holes may sometimes seem problematic, hummingbirds may find their first meals of the season from the sap pooled within them. Woodpeckers greatly increase the rate of forest decomposition while also decreasing populations of insects that can significantly damage the health of an entire forest if left unchecked.

Unfortunately, woodpecker populations are declining.

“Red-headed woodpeckers and northern flickers are declining at a rate of about 2 percent each year,” said State Ornithologist Kristen Heath-Acre. “Fortunately, there are small ways landowners can assist in combating woodpecker habitat decline.”

Here are some simple steps you can take to help stop bird decline in your area:

• If it is safe to do so, keep dead or dying trees, also known as snags. They provide nesting spots and attract insects for food.
• Put stickers or lines on windows to deter the birds from flying into them by mistake.
• Plant native trees and shrubs to complement the use of bird feeders to attract more woodpeckers to your backyard.
• Use suet feeders with big, hearty nuts and berries. Black oil sunflower seeds are a great option, too.
• Be sure to clean the feeders regularly to prevent the spread of disease.

By learning more about these remarkable birds, we can deepen our appreciation for the intricacies of the natural world and the diverse array of species that call it home. So, the next time you hear the rhythmic tapping of a pileated woodpecker in the forest or watch a small flock of downy woodpeckers that frequent your backyard feeders, take a moment to marvel at the incredible abilities and resilience of these fascinating creatures.

Red-Headed Woodpecker

Melanerpes erythrocephalus

Status: Common summer resident

Size: 9¼ inches long

Food: Acorns, fruit, plant and animal material

Habitat: Deciduous woodlands and open areas with scattered trees, nesting in cavities excavated in barkless snags or dead stubs on live trees; also uses natural cavities

Life cycle: Three to 10 eggs for 12 to 14 days; young fledge 24 to 31 days

Call and drum: Call is a loud kweer or kwee-arr, given in short series; drums softly in short bursts 

Pileated Woodpecker

Dryocopus pileatus

Status: Uncommon permanent resident

Size: 16½ inches long, largest of resident woodpeckers

Food: Insects, some fruit, acorns, nuts, and sap

Habitat: Deciduous and coniferous forests, woodlands, parks, and suburbs, nesting in cavities excavated in snags (often barkless)

Life cycle: Four eggs incubated for 15 to 18 days; young fledge in 26 to 28 days

Call and drum: Call is slow, irregular or fast, from a-wik, a-wik to wuk-wuk-wuk; drum is loud and steady