Woodpecker Facts

About the woodpecker

Woodpeckers live around the world, with gaps in Madagascar, New Zealand, New Guinea, Australia and the far polar regions. Most stay in forests or woodland, but a few live in treeless places such as deserts and rocky slopes, and the Gila woodpecker makes use of cacti. Drumming on trees creates a sound that carries a long way.

Insects in bark and branches are the main food, but some species add fruit, tree sap, birds' eggs, small animals, carrion and food scraps left by people. Woodpeckers dig holes in trunks to nest and roost, and other cavity-nesting birds later move into the empty holes. They sometimes annoy people by drilling into buildings or eating fruit crops, but they also remove tree pests.

Did you know?

• The woodpecker family includes about 240 species in 35 genera.
• Almost 20 woodpecker species are threatened by habitat loss.
• Piculets, wrynecks and sapsuckers all belong to the woodpecker family.