![]() ![]() ![]() Pileateds use their large, powerful beaks to reveal galleries full of plump carpenter ants, leaving behind large holes. The small woodpeckers poke and peek into bark crevices, while the mid-sizers, the hairy and red-bellied, drill past the bark to find insect larvae. They hunt the trees in their territory over and over so assiduously that it's a wonder there are any insects left to emerge in the spring. Most do spend the bulk of their time in trees, but use different pecking styles to forage, dictated by the size of their beaks, from the small pick of a downy to the massive chisel of a pileated.Įven in winter, this family of birds is mainly focused on insects, which make up three-fourths of their diet. We associate woodpeckers with trees, but one, the Northern flicker, really prefers to forage on the ground, for ants and other insects. For one thing, they show a great deal of variation in size, with tiny downy woodpeckers dwarfed by the other species, especially their big cousins, the pileateds. Woodpeckers deserve a second look, because there's more to these interesting birds than initially meets the eye. Gayle Carlyle is a volunteer with the Couchiching Conservancy."Woodpecker," we think, when we see a black and white bird at our feeder or on a tree trunk, lumping members of a diverse family together. Next time you’re enjoying the outdoors, see what other animal activities you can spot that indicate spring is not far away. We can thank the wildlife around us for the reminder that warmer weather is around the corner. Squirrels have also begun to produce young, hidden away in warm nests, usually in tree cavities. Birds aren’t the only creatures getting an early jump on the warmer season. If you listen closely to chickadees this time of year, along with their familiar “chick-a-dee-dee-dee” call, they also start singing a soft “fee-bee-bee.” This is the male bird, establishing his territory. When the two birds finally approach one another, they perform specialized flight displays in which they strike their wings against their sides to produce a clapping sound, or flutter their wings like hovering butterflies. The drumming by both sexes may go on for days or even weeks. The hairy’s drumming is slightly lower in pitch than the downy’s.Īn interested female will announce her presence by drumming back to her chosen mate. The male hairy will start drumming on a favorite post, usually a dead tree or branch, to announce that he has established his territory and to attract any females in the area for mating. The drumming serves as a means of communication between the pair as well. Downy woodpeckerĪs early as February or March a downy woodpecker pair indicate that they are occupying their nesting site by flying around it and by drumming short, fast tattoos with their bills on dry branches or other resonant objects scattered about the territory. Their preferred habitat is a large, mature forest with dead or dying trees. A mated pair of pileated woodpeckers can be seen together in their established territory, looking for food and a suitable location to drill out a nest cavity.Ī pair stays bonded throughout the year and will defend their large territory year-round as well. This drumming (loud, repetitive hammering on hollow tree trunks and branches that tends to trail off) may go on for hours as the male flies around his territory. ![]() In late winter or early spring, male pileated woodpeckers will begin to drum for females. Woodpeckers are known for their loud, “rat-a-tat” hammering or drumming, which they use as a means of communication. The downy is the smallest, while the hairy is slightly bigger, and the remarkable pileated quite a bit larger than either-about the size of a crow. ![]() We have three common species of woodpeckers in our area through the winter: downy, hairy, and pileated. The easiest way to discover the earliest signs of spring is with our feathered friends and in particular the lively woodpeckers. These two species prefer moist soil conditions such as wetlands and edges of creeks and streams. Watch for this change to begin in a few weeks. This winter seems to have been a long, cold, and snowy one with many of us yearning for signs of spring.Īlthough it may seem like not much is happening in our natural world, subtle changes are taking place as plants and animals get ready for the warmer and sunnier summer.įor example, red maples and silver maples have round clusters of red buds that start to swell in late winter and turn a stunning shade of bright red. ![]()
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