Woodpecker Behavior

Most woodpeckers are solitary or live in pairs. Woodpeckers peck on wood to look for food. They eat insects, ants, beetles, nuts, seeds, berries, fruit, sap. Woodpeckers communicate by vocalizations, non-vocal sounds (drumming) and body postures. Woodpeckers drum on trees to claim a territory or to attract a mate. It is believed that the woodpecker is able to hear insects and larvae in trees. Woodpeckers do not damage the trees; they actually help them, because they feed on insects which may destroy them. The main dangers for woodpeckers include loss of habitat, human encroachment, and pesticides.