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woodpeckers are known for the tremendous amount of noise they make when living up to their name, picking wood from trees in search of a meal, or drumming to attract a mate. These noisy birds live all over the world, except in Australia and New Guinea. That means they have a wide habitat and many opportunities to interact with other animals, which begs the question, what do woodpeckers eat?
Like many birds, woodpeckers are fast and have great senses to help them find food. However, it is their unique skulls and tongues that provide the best insight into how they hunt and eat. Learn how they find food and how they fare in difficult situations.
What foods do woodpeckers eat?
Woodpeckers eat insects, nuts and fruits. They are omnivorous birds that feed on insects that infest trees, using their special physiology to exterminate them. These birds have no problem pecking through hard shells to reach the seeds inside. They are also not very picky and eat a wide variety of insects and seeds.
Some of the foods woodpeckers eat are:
The woodpecker’s diet is varied, but the vast majority of their favorite foods are wood-boring insects, especially their larvae. Long-horned beetles and other insects such as those that live in trees and other woods 75% of the diet of some woodpecker species.
Although they eat fruits and nuts, they will also occasionally eat a bird’s egg, a young bird, or even a lizard. Perhaps the rarest meal a woodpecker will partake in is meat from small rodents, such as mice.
They will also consume carrion, meat that has been killed by another source, but this is not their preferred food. They prefer to eat insects and fruits. The woodpecker is a great collector, able to find a meal in almost any environment. Their special beaks and skulls make them perfect for finding food.
How do woodpeckers hunt for their food?
Woodpeckers have amazing physiology, especially when it comes to their beaks and skulls. Their bill is long and their bill is very strong. In fact, it is best described as chisel-like. The tip of their bill is powerful enough to dig through wood, break through shells and dig into prey.
Their skulls are also interesting because they are made of spongy bone that cushions the impact of hitting trees with their beaks. Together with powerful neck muscles, the woodpecker’s hyoid bones provide tremendous shock absorption, allowing the bird to hammer into trees thousands of times a day.
When hunting insects, they will use their sense of smell to: localize high concentrations of formic acid produced by their prey of choice. They then tap parts of trees and listen for movement under the bark or in the forest. When they detect movement, they drill into the wood with their powerful bills and then insert their highly elastic, sticky tongues into the hole they’ve made.
In this way they are very successful in finding and eating wood-boring insects. They can also catch some insects in flight.
Hungry woodpeckers will sometimes locate a nest containing bird eggs or fry and loot it, killing and eating parts of the fry. Woodpeckers are vicious and effective at attacking prey such as mice, lizards and young birds.
What do baby woodpeckers eat?
Baby woodpeckers hatch after their eggs have incubated for up to two weeks. The next 25-30 days they are cared for by the parents. During the first two weeks of that time, one of the birds will sit and brood the boy while the other goes to get food and then vomit it up again for his young. Insects are the most common food that woodpeckers will regurgitate for their babies.
Once the birds begin to grow feathers, both parents will hunt for food and regurgitate it for the young or bring whole insects to them. Woodpecker babies leave the nest after about 30 days and are then ready to leave their parents shortly after.
What do woodpeckers eat in winter?
The cold winter months impose hardship on many animals, including the woodpecker. Some woodpecker species migrate to warmer climates, but others stay close to their breeding grounds. One of the reasons woodpeckers hang out longer than other species is that they make holes in trees for their nests. The extra protection from the elements helps.
When winter comes and insects are less available to them, woodpeckers eat the following foods:
Woodpeckers can easily break open seeds that other birds have had to leave behind, and these birds are known to create a supply of food to help them in times of scarcity. The acorn woodpecker, in particular, is known for hoarding acorns to help survive the cold winter months.
What predators do woodpeckers eat?
The woodpecker is a bit of a predator in its own right, but that doesn’t mean they are apex predators. Some creatures can track them down and put an end to their incessant drumming while feeding them a meal. Woodpecker predators include:
A notable absence from the list of woodpecker predators is humans. While many people would like to get rid of these birds, they are protected by the Federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act. People need a special permit to get rid of them. However, setting out a few traps and owls often reduces their numbers in a small area.
Woodpeckers are great at digging insects out of trees, finding abundant deposits of sap, and occasionally scooping up a bird’s egg for dinner. These birds are not hard to find due to their constant drumming
an
d screeching, so it is possible to see them in action as they burrow in trees. Their unique skulls and beaks set them apart from other birds of their size, making the woodpecker an interesting, if noisy, creature.
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