Nuttalls Woodpecker

Facts about Nuttall's Woodpeckers, "Scientific name for Nuttall's Woodpecker is Picoides nuttallii". Nuttall's woodpecker is a Picoides variety of woodpeckers. Nuttall's Woodpeckers are birds in the Class of "Aves". "Scientific name for Woodpecker Picidae".

The Nuttall's Woodpeckers are native to oak forests of California, and their favorite home is arid to mesic forests. The Nuttall's Woodpecker especially prefers oak woodlands, even though the bird also occurs in riparian places and chaparral in the majority of southern parts of its range due to the decrease in oak profusion. The Nuttall's Woodpecker can be seen at heights, ranging from (4100 to 6561 feet) (1,250 m to 2,000 m) above sea level. The Nuttall's Woodpeckers are not considered globally endangered even though the range is limited to the California Endemic Bird region. As a main cavity nester, the Nuttall's Woodpecker offers nest sites for several other varieties in forests. Presently, their population appears to be steady and the Nuttall's Woodpecker variety is widespread and somewhat lenient of human activity.

Features

The Nuttall's woodpecker is a fairly small bird, with a body length, ranging from 6.3 inches to 7.1 (16 to 18 cm) inches, with a body mass that ranges from 1.1 pounds to 1.6 pounds (.49 to .72 kg).

Nuttall’s woodpecker has a black and white colored body, with black color wings and tail feathers with white color barring. The ventral surface of the body is white in color, with black color spots and barring. The Nuttall's Woodpecker has a black-colored forehead, with white lines on the sides and an unbarred black area at the top of its back. Adult male Nuttall's Woodpeckers have a noticeable red crown, whereas the females do not have such crown. Female Nuttall's Woodpeckers appear with forehead, top, and nape black with a few white lining. However, this bodily feature of the adult Nuttall's Woodpeckers can be seen in the juvenile of both genders.

Male and female Woodpeckers are able to drum hollow trees logs execrate. Since woodpeckers do not have vocal cords and don't sing, this pecking activity also plays an important role in communicating with each other. Woodpeckers drumming is also to attract a mate, mark out territory, both sexes are known to drum.

Nuttall’s Woodpeckers have zygodactyls feet and rigid tail feathers that enable them to keep up an upright position on trees. Nuttall's Woodpeckers have zygodactyl feet, having 4 fingers, which means they have two toes facing the front and two toes facing the back, that helps them to have a strong grip on trees vertically. The Nuttall's Woodpecker use these 8 fingers with their stiff central portion tail feathers to brace on trees as they climb. The underparts of the Nuttall's woodpecker are white in color, with marked sides and barred flanks. They have a black-and-white colored face, with white color nasal bristles on top of the bill, which is short and black in color. The Nuttall's Woodpecker back crown part is small, and their legs and feet are gray in color. While foraging, male Nuttall’s Woodpeckers are inclined to work on the tree trunk and bigger branches of trees, whereas females make use of the smaller branches.

Diet

The Nuttall’s woodpecker mainly feeds on pest larvae of click beetles, wood borers, and ants, found by beating and probing into the gaps in oak trees. The Nuttall's Woodpecker also feed on sap from sap gaps, made by red-breasted sapsuckers in willow and birch, and also feeds on a diversity of berry seeds.

When feeding, drumming and building a nest cavity, a woodpecker can peck up to 20 times per second, wow that's fast! or a total between 9,000 and 12,000 pecks in a day.

Almost all woodpeckers have a prominent surge in flight comprise of three rapid wing flaps, followed by a quick glide when the woodpeckers wings are tucked against its body rather than spread out like many other birds.

The average life span of a woodpecker in the wild is 4 to 11 years, depending on the species and environment

Woodpeckers are omnivores; meaning - an animal that eats food of both animal and plant and origin.

Woodpeckers are monogamous meaning- the pair will mate for lifetime. Both male and female prepare the nest in the tree for babies and both will help feed them. The female will lay between 3 and 5 eggs and the incubation period will lasts 11 to 14 days. After one month of hatching, young woodpeckers will leave the nest and venture out on there own.

Woodpeckers possess a protective ocular mechanisms for protecting its eyes from shaking from the pecking impact. woodpeckers show a restricted axial globe movement due to the tight fit within the fascial tissue connections and orbit between the sclera and orbital rim.

The eyes of the woodpecker are covered with a nictitating membrane (from Latin nictare, to blink)— a translucent and transparent third eyelid - that protects the woodpeckers eyes from flying debris while pecking. There are more than 190 species of woodpeckers worldwide, but none of them are found in polar regions, Madagascar, New Zealand or Australia.

An average woodpecker's tongue is up to 4 inches (10.16 cm) long. The length can be a little different depending on which species of woodpecker. Its tongue wraps around the reinforced skull structured and squashy bone, to even out the impact of the pecking force. Many woodpeckers have barbed tongues that helps them remove bugs from holes and tree bark.
Feathers that look like hairs on the woodpecker nostrils, prevent ingestion of wood particles.