When you think about woodpeckers, it is likely their tongues aren’t the first thing that comes to mind. But their tongues can reach up to 1/3 of their body length! They are also very specialized and serve several purposes – at least one of which might really surprise you. With a tongue that long, the […]
It’s winter and your feeder is stocked – with few takers. What’s going on? Arent all those birds out there freezing and need calories? If birds aren’t at your feeders in winter there could be a lot of reasons why that is happening, but one you can easily test and control is what food you are putting […]
Two woodpeckers who look very much alike are busy inspecting tree bark around North America looking for food. Both look natty in their checkered plumage, but how to tell them apart? Beak Size: The most pronounced field mark is beak size. Downys have small beaks – almost unnaturally so, and Hairys have much larger thorn-like beaks. Size: Hairys […]
It’s not too early to prepare for the nesting birds you want to attract to your yard during nesting season. If you are interested in a DIY project, here’s one which helps Northern Flickers. Northern Flicker Photo Credit: Deborah Rivel Flickers are considered common birds, but are suffering a steep decline in population due to loss of habitat as dead trees […]
Red-headed Woodpecker Photo Credit: Stan Tekeila We all know Woodpeckers carve out nesting holes in spring, but what’s going on with all that tree chiseling in the fall? What do these woodpeckers know that we don’t? Find out from our friends at BirdNote.