A tree trunk can talk to you sometimes: a rhythmic and repetitive tapping, reminiscent of the excitement of drums at the edge of an African village. Woodpeckers are uniquely adapted for tree-tapping. Their bills are straight, chisel-like, sharp and strong. In fact, much of their foraging, breeding and displaying behaviour involves the loud and vigorous hammering of bills. To prevent brain damage from the rapid, constant impacts – smacking your head against a tree is, after all, a severe and rough activity – woodpeckers have evolved a number of adaptations. Their brains are relatively small and cushioned within the skull by a ‘pillow’ of bone. During tapping, debris flies about and the bird’s eyes are protected by a nictitating membrane that slides across them like a screen milliseconds before the bill impacts the tree.
The adaptations for life in the trees don’t stop there. Woodpeckers are one of only a few specialised groups of birds with zygodactyl feet, which means they have four toes per foot, the first (hallux) and fourth face backwards, and the second and third face forwards. This arrangement, together with stiffened tails, is perfectly suited to grasping and scurrying up and down the surfaces of trees with ease and jerky speed. Their tongues are also rather special, being long and sticky, with bristles for grabbing and extracting insects and fat, juicy grubs from deep within tree holes.
Ground woodpecker
Image by Ian.n.White
Woodpeckers are found everywhere on Earth except Australia, New Zealand, Madagascar and the extreme polar regions. South Africa boasts seven beautiful, vibrant species. The largest and most unusual of the group is the ground woodpecker. A locally common, endemic species of rocky, hilly slopes in fynbos, Karoo and grassland, it’s South Africa’s only woodpecker not associated with trees. It’s an olive-grey bird with a pinkish-red belly and rump and cream-barred wings. Its far-carrying ‘dwerr’ call has become synonymous with the rolling, treeless landscapes of our country.
The smallest woodpecker is the cardinal woodpecker, a common resident widely distributed across all but the driest parts. It’s easily identified by its small size (14 to 16 centimetres and weighing up to 30 grams), streaky breast and belly, and brownish forecrown merging into red.
Knysna Woodpecker by Markus Lilje
Image courtesy of Rockjumper Birding
The region’s most threatened woodpecker is the Knysna woodpecker, a species of very limited range, preferring forest, riparian woodland, euphorbia scrub, milkwood thickets, alien acacias and eucalypts along the southern (almost coastal) strip of South Africa.
When setting out on a woodpecker search, be sure to study the different facial patterns as these, together with the patterns on their backs and underparts, are key features to take into account when telling one species apart from another. And when you hear a tree begin to beat against a backdrop of forest light and tinkling leaves, stop, stand dead still, listen carefully, and behold the delight of the special woodpecker’s song.
(Main photo courtesy of Warwick Tarboton.)
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