Probably each of us has met this amazing forest dweller while walking through the forest. And even if you were not able to see the bird, it can be identified by its characteristic dry, fractional knock. The bird's habitat is very vast and includes almost all regions of the earth where forested areas are present. This is explained by the fact that woodpeckers live exclusively in trees and never walk on the ground.
Forest bird woodpecker. Description, life cycle
For many years, scientists have been interested in the behavior and life cycle of birds. There were times when woodpeckers were classified as pests and were deliberately destroyed. But it soon turned out that this amazing creature is a full-fledged doctor of forest flora, because it destroys thousands of larvae and harmful insects that can lead to the death of entire hectares of forest.
Varieties
The bird belongs to the Woodpecker family, which includes more than 200 different types. A significant part of the representatives are found in forest areas North America, while in our regions you can see more than 10 species. Among the most famous are the following:
Description
A significant portion of woodpecker species are medium in size, with the exception of the tiny golden-fronted and small spotted woodpeckers, which weigh about 10 grams. The largest representatives, such as Zhelna, are capable of gaining up to 600 grams of mass.
Externally, the bird looks very beautiful. The plumage may have black and white colors, sometimes speckled. On the head there is a characteristic Little Red Riding Hood. The woodpecker is distinguished by its thick, strong and relatively long beak, with the help of which the bird easily hollows out a hollow in any breed. But in most cases, she prefers diseased trunks with soft wood.
The ability to climb trees well is due to the presence of short legs with tenacious toes. Most species have 4 toes on their feet, with the exception of the three-toed woodpecker. When searching for food, the bird tears off large pieces of bark from a tree, which helps other animals find food.
Habitat
As mentioned above, the feathered doctor of forest flora can be found almost anywhere where there is a forest. A significant part of the species prefers a solitary lifestyle away from signs of human activity. But in the absence of a food supply, the bird can change its place of residence and live in city parks or private gardens. For this reason, the woodpecker is found almost everywhere except the Subpolar regions and the Australian islands.
. It practically does not make seasonal migrations or long flights. The area of one adult individual occupies an area of about two hectares. If there is not enough food, the bird can fly several kilometers from its home. After such a journey he rarely returns. This fact is the answer to the question: woodpecker - migrant or not?
Many species are omnivores and freely tolerate aggressive climatic conditions, so there is simply no need to fly to warmer climes.
Features of life
A favorite pastime of all ornithologists and people who are interested in wildlife, is considered to be observation of bird behavior in different conditions. If you look at a woodpecker, he doesn't show any high requirements to the conditions of detention. In order to exist normally, it is enough for a bird to have access to insects that live under the bark of trees. The most pleasant habitat is considered to be the area near rivers, lakes and other forest bodies of water. This is due to the fact that in such places there are ideal conditions for insect colonies to flourish.
During the rainy season, these pests begin to intensively destroy trees, so the woodpecker has many important tasks. In addition to the main task of searching for food, the woodpecker can hollow out a trunk to create a new nest. He does this almost every year. But small species of woodpeckers, such as the woodpecker, prefer the nests of other birds because their beaks are not strong enough.
A unique feature of all woodpeckers is the ability to move through trees incredibly quickly. Even tiny baby birds begin their first independent steps not in flight, but while climbing a tree trunk. By nature in a bird short legs with tenacious fingers.
It's important to note that life cycle poultry remains the same throughout the year. In the cold winter, you can hear a local doctor hammering a tree trunk somewhere in the forest, making a loud sound.
What does a woodpecker eat?
The main condition for poultry to stay in our regions in the cold winter is an abundance of food. The non-migratory group includes only those individuals that are omnivorous and do not have high demands on the choice of food diet. In addition to the main food in the form of insects, woodpeckers do not refuse pine seeds, nuts and even acorns.
To get a nutritious larva from under the bark, the bird uses not only its strong beak, but also its surprisingly dexterous tongue. Its length often exceeds the length of the beak itself, and there are sharp teeth at the tip. In one season, the forest healer destroys a colossal number of harmful insects, which cause great damage to the local flora. Woodpeckers eat almost all insects that come into contact with them. This is about:
- termites;
- caterpillars;
- ants:
The bird does not refuse tasty snails. In the absence of such food in the cold season, the woodpecker can eat berries, And seeds different trees. If it comes severe hunger, the bird migrates to cities and towns, where the food supply is much wider.
Interesting features of the woodpecker:
Based on the above, we can confidently say that the woodpecker is one of the most unique, interesting, beautiful birds that live in our forests, being their decoration.
And although for many years the woodpecker was considered a pest and was even exterminated en masse until scientists determined that the bird only hammers old, rotten and diseased trees. They are the ones who save the flora from many diseases, and also create homes for other birds, leaving their nests.
They also tear off entire pieces of bark and open passages for insects and other birds.
The woodpecker is a bird from the woodpecker family, which has about 220 species. The main habitat is Europe, and only 5 species live on the American continent.
Why doesn't the woodpecker have a headache?
The woodpecker feeds mainly on bark beetle larvae and insects, which it extracts from under rotten areas of bark with the help of its tools. The beak is used to chisel wood and widen holes in trunks and branches, as well as to peel pine cones. And with a long thin tongue, like tweezers, he takes insects out of the holes. The woodpecker's four toes have very sharp, tenacious claws and are arranged in pairs - forward and backward, which allows it to securely attach itself to the tree trunk. The hard tail makes it possible to firmly rest against the trunk to form a strong support. After all, while working, the woodpecker needs to have something to lean on, otherwise it will simply be blown away after the first blows.
The frequency of these beats is quite high, and in the forest you can often hear the drumbeat that this forest musician taps on the top of a dry tree.
Device cranium This bird allows you to protect the brain from sharp and frequent blows. Except strong bones heads exist the whole system mitigation presented additional fluids and sinuses.
Variety of species
According to scientists' reports, there are more than two hundred different species of woodpeckers.
The most common are the Great and Lesser Spotted Woodpecker.
Besides them there are also:
- Great Sharpwing;
- Lesser Sharpwing;
- yellow-breasted;
- white-backed;
- red-bellied;
- brown-fronted;
- yellow-capped;
- and many other types.
All of them are often called simply - spotted woodpeckers.
How do woodpeckers live?
These birds are considered sedentary. They don't fly away warm countries for the winter. The most they can do is a short flight to another forest, where there will be food all winter. The way they feed allows them to spend the winter in the same places, because in winter, when there is no possibility of finding insects, they can eat the seeds of pine trees. For this they set up so-called forges. Having found a suitable fork or crack, the woodpecker inserts a pine cone into it like a holder and, bending its scales, takes out the seeds.
The woodpecker makes a hollow for its nest, finding holes in dry trees and enlarging them with its beak.
In spring, males stage real duels on drums. Having found a dry standing trunk, the duelist chooses a place on it that is as dry as possible in the sun. It is this that produces the loudest and most sonorous sound when the musician begins to quickly knock on it with his beak. It is these fractions that we hear in the spring forest.
If this message was useful to you, I would be glad to see you
Today we will talk about the woodpecker. Who is he, what does he eat, where does he live - we will consider all these topics.
Description of the woodpecker
The woodpecker is an unusual bird that lives exclusively in forests, only because there are a lot of trees there. Their tail feathers are very stiff and their claws are sharp, making them excellent at climbing trees. The beak of these birds is strong and sharp, and the muscles on the neck are strong, thanks to which they can chisel thick wood and tear off hard bark without compromising their health. Many people are interested in why woodpeckers don’t get headaches from such blows and don’t get a concussion.
Chinese scientists conducted a study of the bird and concluded: the wu is very tightly attached to the skull, which is why it cannot shake itself. There are many species of woodpeckers: more than 200 species have been counted. In our forests, one of the most common ones has been identified, which is called large motley.
"Bird in Flight"
The woodpecker flies in the forest with great reluctance, but if it has to, then it flutters very quickly thanks to the endurance and strength of its wings. This one likes to fly from one branch to another. They spend most of their time crawling along trunks with pleasure. A woodpecker in a tree feels like a fish in water. He can climb on it not only up, but also upside down, feeling great at the same time.
Danger
If he sees danger, he does not immediately fly away, but hides behind reverse side trunk and sits there, occasionally poking its head out. If a predator creeps up very close, only then does the woodpecker fly away from the enemy. As you can imagine, this is an incomplete description of the woodpecker. Since there is a wide variety of these birds, each species has its own habits, habits, and so on. These creatures are defenseless, so they are pursued by hawks, falcons, eagle owls and other similar predators. Magpies destroy their nests. Therefore, woodpeckers know very well places in their forest where they can hide from predators. Thanks to this, they feel comfortable in this area, react quickly to any type of danger, and have a good understanding of how to get food.
Bird nutrition in the warm season
What does a woodpecker eat in the forest in summer? It looks for insects that are on the surface of the bark and under it. These can be a variety of bugs, caterpillars, butterflies, and bark beetles. By their actions, woodpeckers often save trees from disease. That's why they are called forest orderlies. But only in those places where there are diseased trees that are eaten by bugs. If a woodpecker moves onto a young, healthy tree, begins to chisel it, and spoils the bark, then it turns from a health worker into a pest. This bird can also consume some vegetation, for example, berries, seeds, even nuts - depending on the time of year.
IN warm time year, it feeds most often on small invertebrate insects, which it finds on the surface of trees, shrubs and under their bark. If a woodpecker wants to get food from a deep crevice, he sticks his tongue into it, which is very long and sticky (the prey sticks to it). In this way he takes out food from distant corners. When these birds were studied, they concluded that at the end of summer they mainly consume insects that harm the forest (they live in the tissues of trunks). At the beginning of summer, a woodpecker can find raspberries, strawberries, and blackberries, which they consume with pleasure. In search of food, the bird prefers to examine trees such as oak and beech, which are already drying out. Woodpeckers do not really like ash and birch, so they fly to them as a last resort. Linden and aspen are definitely not their trees. If these birds see a place where there is a lot of food, then they do not fly away from there until it is exhausted.
If a woodpecker finds itself on dead soil mixtures, then it prefers to sit in the middle of the trunk or on the upper crown. The woodpecker seems defenseless, but if desired, it can become a predator: as soon as it sees the nest of a weaker bird, it flies there, breaks its eggs, and eats the chicks. As it turns out, he won’t refuse meat. In summer, woodpeckers have a fairly extensive diet. In autumn it is harder for them to find food. But they still find it, since they feed seasonally.
Food in autumn
What does a woodpecker eat in the forest in autumn? The study showed that its food is rowan, juniper, lingonberry, plum pits, and nuts. Usually the woodpecker stores acorns for the winter, but does not eat them in the fall. But it crushes plum pits or nuts in a very interesting way. He places them in the crack that has formed on the shell. Punches the shell so that a wide hole is created, and takes out the kernel from there. The woodpecker does not care at all how thick the seed or nut is; thanks to its hard beak, it can handle any shell.
He also managed to get the seed of a coniferous tree that is still green - these are spruce, pine, fir, cedar and others. Woodpeckers consume this food mainly starting in October, and finish it in March, sometimes in early April. While obtaining seeds, they do not forget to hollow out trees in search of invertebrates.
Food in winter
Scientists studied this bird and determined what the woodpecker eats in the forest in winter. Often these birds can be found in plantings that are very close to residential buildings - they are often fed by people (they build feeders and hang them in nearby public gardens). In such places there are also trees, in the bark of which you can get various insects and beetles. But in winter there are very few of them, so woodpeckers can often be seen on coniferous trees where cones grow. When scientists found out what woodpeckers eat in winter, then teachers began to assign schoolchildren, mainly in labor lessons, to make feeders for birds, so that it would be a little easier for the birds to survive.
The cones contain already ripe, nutritious and tasty seeds, which these birds are very interested in getting. They put the cone between the cracks so that it fits very tightly and does not fall. Holding it with its breast, the woodpecker hits it with its strong beak, thus opening its scales, and takes out everything edible from there. They usually do not tolerate larch fruit, but snap right on the spot. If the cones are very large and it is inconvenient to insert them into the slot, they can lower their find to the ground and select seeds there. People also encounter these birds in various landfills, where crumbs or small caterpillars can be found. This is what woodpeckers eat in winter.
How much do they eat?
Large birds can consume spruce seeds (up to 10 grams per day) and pine seeds (about 6 grams). When cones need to be crushed, birds make forges for themselves from dry cracks or stumps. If the woodpecker does not find special holes, then he can, without much effort, make such holes himself so that a seed, nut or coniferous fruit can be inserted there.
They make a lot of forges so that if they find solid food nearby, they need to carry it (usually no more than 10 meters). At the same time, the woodpecker places the pine fruit in vertical position, and spruce - in the transverse. In the nut, he simply makes sure that the kernel can be easily removed from there. It turns out that it is still quite difficult for a woodpecker to survive in winter, like many animals.
Nutrition in the spring season
The long-awaited spring is coming. What does a woodpecker eat in the forest during this period? First of all, after winter, he needs to fatten up, so he immediately looks for the nests of small birds where the eggs are, and drinks them right on the spot. He kidnaps the chicks: he inserts them into a crack in his forge, cuts them up and eats them. He can also take them to his children. And so, from a kind orderly, the woodpecker turns into a bird of prey.
When the trees begin to wake up, sap begins to appear inside them, birds make holes in the bark (they especially prefer birch) and drink it. Woodpeckers also find a lot of invertebrate insects at this time. That is, the variety of food increases after winter. Again they begin to make funnels in the trees - thus widening the passages along which insects move. After which they stick their long, rough and sticky tongue there and get edible creatures. At these moments, the woodpecker comes across not only larvae, but also large insects, so the birds quickly get full. When the first buds appear on the trees, woodpeckers immediately eat them. However, birds need to eat a lot of buds to satisfy their hunger. Some plants begin to bloom in early spring. The woodpecker quickly discovers this and feasts on their seeds. In the spring, birds find nuts in the forests that have been preserved under the leaves since last year.
In order to find food for themselves in the spring, they have to not only climb trees, but also go down to the ground, where a lot of ants and worms can be found.
Conclusion
Now you know who the woodpecker is. The photos presented in the article will help you get acquainted with the appearance this bird. We also figured out what it eats and where it lives. We hope it is now clear to you what a woodpecker eats in nature.
Different birds live in our forests and parks, fields and meadows. The names of some characterize bird habits, others - coloring features, and still others - the method of obtaining food. Here, for example, is a flycatcher. You already understand that this little birdie is mainly engaged in catching flies and other small flying insects. Of course, she does this not for fun, but feeds on them. Can you imagine the benefits a flycatcher brings, clearing forests and gardens of various pests!
Or a wagtail. This cute bird was named so because, while running on the ground and even standing still, it constantly shakes its long tail - shakes its tail. People say: a wagtail flew in and broke the ice with its tail. This is because the time of arrival of the bird from the south and the beginning of ice drift on the rivers usually coincide.
What about the redstart? Anyone who saw it once will remember it for a long time. The bird’s tail actually seems to be “burning”, as if engulfed in flames. It is reddish-fiery in color. Everyone understands that the greenfinch was so named because it is almost all olive green in color. Or another interesting bird - the whirligig. To scare the enemy, she twists her neck, imitating a snake.
And there are many birds whose names do not explain anything. For example, starling, thrush, lark, oriole. Try it and find out where these names come from. What does the word “woodpecker” tell you? But listen to it, doesn’t it resemble the sound of a short and sharp blow? Woodpecker! Woodpecker! Woodpecker!
Woodpecker It is familiar not only to naturalists; many people know it, but they know it very superficially; this bird is often called the forest doctor. And rightly so. Destroying great amount Such harmful insects as woodcutting beetles, bark beetles and the like, the woodpecker actually heals trees. Let's get to know him better.
Not everyone knows that several woodpeckers species. First of all it's big spotted woodpecker. He is very handsome. Its plumage is truly variegated - a mixture of white and black; the male has a transverse red stripe on the back of his head, and the undertail is brown. There is also a small spotted woodpecker - it is slightly larger than a sparrow; There is also a green woodpecker, a black woodpecker with a red cap, its other name is yellow.
The most famous is the great spotted woodpecker; we are accustomed to seeing it in our forests. Somewhere there were quick blows on a tree trunk, then a sharp and rather loud cry was heard: “kick-kick-kick.”
Follow the sound carefully and you will soon see the bird. Perched high on a trunk, the woodpecker quickly strikes the bark with its large, strong beak. Having noticed you, he will immediately stop working and move to the opposite side of the tree, and if you persistently approach, he will fly away.
It is interesting to watch the woodpecker in the spring, when the forest is filled with colorful bird chirping. The woodpecker does not know how to sing, and therefore expresses the joyful spring mood in another way: it climbs onto a dry branch and begins to quickly knock on it with its beak. A long, rattling loud sound is heard, similar to the creaking of a branch in the wind. This is the spring “song” of the woodpecker. Its purpose is to attract the attention of the woodpecker.
A little later, when the trees wake up from their long winter sleep and the sap begins to flow under the bark, the woodpeckers perform a curious operation. They ring trees: they make holes in the bark and drink the sweet juice.
Such rings most often surround the trunks of birch trees, hence the name - woodpecker rings. The bird loves some trees so much that it rings it every year. It has been noticed that such trees (usually birch and spruce) grow on the edges of forests or in open, well-lit areas. There, the trees warm up faster and the movement of sap from the roots to the branches with swollen buds begins earlier.
Tree ringing is not an idle pastime, and the woodpecker is not just enjoying the juice. In the spring he is hungry, like all other birds, so he is fed with juice. But ringing does not harm the tree. The birds make small holes, and they quickly close. Only occasionally do influxes form on the trees that the woodpecker rings from year to year.
Seeing a woodpecker, pay attention to how it sits on the trunk. Not at all like other birds. The special structure of its legs (two toes forward, two back) allows it to stay vertically on the trunk, while it relies on its hard tail, the end of which is always frayed. The bird moves along the tree in short jerks, knocks here, hits here, and then quickly runs to the other side of the trunk. They jokingly say: the woodpecker was running to see if the tree had gone right through and if the tip of its nose was visible in the hole. In fact, the insects, disturbed by his chattering, crawl out of the cracks, so the woodpecker is in a hurry to catch them.
And in winter, the bird feeds on the seeds of spruce and pine cones. He picks off a cone and flies with it to his “machine”. He arranges it on a broken dry tree or on a stump: he hollows out a deep groove or hole, where he inserts a cone. Unbending it, the bird takes out the seeds. In this case, some of the seeds fall onto the snow. That's why tits always hang around the woodpecker. They pick up fallen seeds. That's why woodpecker in winter always surrounded by a retinue of tits. They even believe that he is the leader of their pack. But that's not true; they fly after the woodpecker because they can always make money near it.
If there is a bad year for pine cones, woodpecker chiselling bark, pulls out various larvae from it. Finding a woodpecker’s “forge” in the forest is not so difficult: there are always a lot of broken cones lying under a tree.
woodpecker nest settles in a hollow tree, where it lays five or six eggs. It is not easy for parents to feed their noisy offspring. Woodpeckers begin their working day at about three in the morning, and end when it begins to get dark, at about nine in the evening. Each bird flies to the nest with food more than a hundred times.
But the chicks have grown up. Clinging with sharp claws, they crawl out of the hollow and, clumsily gliding on still weak wings, scatter across the tree. For some time they live off the food that old birds bring them, but they themselves begin to hunt for insects. And then the time comes for independence. Each of the chicks is now adult bird- chooses a plot of land in the forest, where he settles.
The newcomer here is young woodpecker won't let me in. And spring will come, and he will begin to “play” on a dry tree, inviting the woodpecker to form a married couple.
Report on the topic “Woodpecker” will tell you about these beautiful animals.
Woodpecker report
The woodpecker is a bird from the woodpecker family, which has about 220 species. The most common are the Great and Lesser Spotted Woodpecker. The main habitat is North Africa and Europe, and only 5 species live on the American continent.
What does a woodpecker eat?
The woodpecker feeds mainly on bark beetle larvae and insects, which it takes out from under the bark.
The woodpecker is a very useful bird; it rids trees of bark beetles. It eats 750-900 bark beetles per day. Every year he makes a new hollow for himself, and leaves the old one for other birds.
In winter, the woodpecker feeds on the seeds of coniferous trees.
Description of the woodpecker
The woodpecker has a motley coloration. He climbs trees well, with help from: short legs with tenacious claws. The hard tail makes it possible to rest securely against the trunk to form a strong support. The woodpecker's beak is straight, strong and sharp.
The structure of the skull of this bird allows it to protect the brain from sudden and frequent blows. In addition to the strong bone of the head, there is a whole softening system represented by additional fluids and sinuses.
The male and female make the nest together, hollowing it out in the trunk of an aspen, alder or birch tree. At night, woodpeckers rest in an upright position, clinging their claws to a tree trunk or to the walls of a hollow.
The woodpecker is called the forest orderly! The woodpecker culls sick, pest-infested trees.
Woodpeckers move along the tree in a spiral and constantly tap, chiseling the bark. The bird's tongue is covered with sticky saliva and small teeth with which it pricks insects.
How do woodpeckers live?
These birds are sedentary. They do not fly to warm countries for the winter. The most they can do is a short flight to another forest, where there will be food all winter. The way they feed allows them to spend the winter in the same places, because in winter, when there is no possibility of finding insects, they can eat the seeds of pine trees.
The woodpecker makes a hollow for its nest, finding holes in dry trees and enlarging them with its beak.
In spring, males stage real duels on drums. Having found a dry standing trunk, the duelist chooses a place on it that is as dry as possible in the sun. It is this that produces the loudest and most sonorous sound when the musician begins to quickly knock on it with his beak. It is these fractions that we hear in the spring forest.
