List of Common Types of Woodpecker Species
types of woodpeckers: The family Picidae, which includes subfamilies like Picumninae (piculets), Jynginae (wrynecks), and Picinae (sapsuckers), includes woodpeckers, which are birds that live in trees. They may be easily distinguished from other bird species by their long, pointed bills, which they employ for drilling and pecking on trees. Usually, they dig holes in tree trunks and branches to build their nests.
Species List of Common Woodpecker Types
types of woodpeckers: There are 236 identified species of woodpeckers in the family Picidae. Which are divided into 35 genera, according to the International Ornithologists Union. Here are a few species of woodpeckers that are frequently seen:
- Downy Woodpecker: The common habitats of this little woodpecker in North America are parks, woodlands, and suburban areas. Their short bill adds to their unique black and white plumage.
- Hairy Woodpecker: A little bigger and with a longer bill than the Downy Woodpecker, but otherwise similar in appearance. found all over North America in a range of forested environments.
- Northern Flicker: a large species of woodpecker with a characteristic black crescent on the chest, spotted underparts, and a brown back. They are frequently seen in fields, open forests, and cities.
- Pileated Woodpecker: Distinguished by its distinctive black body, white stripes on the face, and a bright red crest, this woodpecker is one of the largest in North America. They live in most of the continent’s mature woods.
- Red-headed Woodpecker: Â Distinguished by its vivid red head and striking black and white body. Across eastern and central North America, they are frequently found in residential areas, orchards, and open woodlands.
- Acorn Woodpecker: found in oak woodlands, specifically in western North America. Granaries are holes in trees that have been specifically bred to hold acorns, which are used by Acorn Woodpeckers.
Physical Description and Appearance
types of woodpeckers: The length of woodpeckers varies; the smallest are 7cm (2.8in) long piculets, while the largest are 48-58cm (19-23in) long slaty woodpeckers. The great slaty woodpecker was smaller than the probably extinct ivory-billed and imperial woodpeckers.
Weight: Weights range from 7g (0.25oz) for the smallest piculets to 360-563g (12.7-19.9oz) for the largest surviving great slaty woodpeckers.
Color: There are species with pied plumage and others with an olive and brown base. Their coloration can range from bland to prominent. While some species have tufted feathers or a crest on their crown, many species have a striking pattern of red, black, and white.
Skull: Their robust, pliable, and compressible bones are primarily located in the forehead and the back of the skull.
Beak: Their powerful, pointed bills have a chisel-like tip that makes them ideal for pecking at wood. The three layers that comprise the beak include an inner skeletal layer containing collagen fibers and a big hollow, a middle layer composed of porous bones, and an outside sheath made of keratin that is scaly.
Feet: With four toes oriented so that the first and fourth face backward and the second and third face forward, they have zygodactyl feet.
Distribution
types of woodpeckers: Woodpeckers can be found all throughout the world, however they are absent from Antarctica, Australasia, and Madagascar. While Nesoctitinae piculets are found in the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, Picumninae piculets are found in Africa, Southeast Asia, and South America. Europe, Africa, and Asia are home to wrynecks.
Which types of habitats do they inhabit?
Since they are arboreal birds, woodpeckers can be found in forested areas. Various woodpecker species can be found in savannahs, scrublands, woodlands, grasslands, deserts, and bamboo forests, among other habitats. Foraging wood, dead or decaying, is usually necessary for woodpeckers living in forests.
How long do they live
Woodpeckers can live anywhere from four to twelve years on average when they are left in the wild. Larger woodpecker species, however, can survive for 20–30 years in the right environment.
What do they eat
Being omnivores, woodpeckers primarily consume insects such as mealybugs, termites, ants, beetles, and caterpillars. In addition, they consume berries, pine seeds, acorns, fruits, nuts, and tree sap. Their precise diet, however, is dependent on the food supply in the area they live in.
How do they Reproduce and Mate
types of woodpeckers: Wrynecks look for pre-existing cavities during the breeding season, whereas woodpeckers and piculets dig their nests. Usually, a nest features a big vertical chamber below its round entrance. A nest excavation takes roughly 30 days to complete.
In order to drill the nest, incubate the eggs, and raise their young, a breeding pair typically collaborates. For the most part, male woodpeckers excavate first, and then at night they incubate the eggs. Once the nest is constructed, two to five white eggs are placed. And they take around eleven to fourteen days to hatch. It takes the chicks 18 to 30 days after they hatch to fledge and leave the nest.
The majority of members of the Picidae family are monogamous, which means that a woodpecker will only ever have one partner in its lifetime. Nonetheless, a few species have polygamous mating systems, such as the West Indian and lesser spotted woodpeckers.