![]() ![]() Regardless of sex, they’re uncommon in the park, but you might catch a glimpse of one pecking at a pine in lower parts of the high country (6,000′-9,000′). This species’ look varies wildly by sex: Males have black heads and bodies with sparse white stripes females have brown heads and a salt-and-pepper pattern on their backs. If you spy a bird that looks like an undersized hairy woodpecker with a dainty beak, you’ve probably spotted this petite species downy woodpeckers are uncommon in Yosemite, but are sometimes seen in riparian and hardwood habitats at low elevations (2,000′-4,000′). Sporting scarlet heads and chests, these striking sapsuckers are most plentiful in the park in spring and summer months, when you might catch sight of them among riparian hardwoods or in conifer forests, between 2,000 feet and 8,000 feet. (Pro tip: Look down! Flickers often feed on the ground.) Ģ. Keep an eye out for these dashing brown birds (known as Pic flamboyant in French) in Yosemite in spring, summer and early autumn, when they frequent meadows, pine and oak forests, and riparian areas across a huge elevation range (2,000′-10,000′). Easily recognized by their striking white heads (surprise!), these four-season Yosemite residents dine on pines in mid-elevation forests (4,000′-7,000′). (They’re named for Thomas Nuttall, a 19th-century botanist and bird-lover). Based on their name, you’d assume they eat all nuts, but they prefer to dine on ants, beetles and other tree-dwelling insects. These small, chisel-billed birds are common in Yosemite, but unique to the West – their range is largely limited to California’s oak woodlands. You’ll find them in Yosemite year-round, in a variety of habitats, including conifer, hardwood and riparian areas, from 2,000 feet all the way up to 10,000 feet. Despite the name, these black-and-white larvae-lovers are coated in feathers, not hair. As you’d expect, they hang out around oak trees, at relatively low elevations (2,000′-5,000′). These red-capped tree-nut-hoarders are abundant all year in the park. Hoping to spot a woodpecker on your next trip to the park? Take a glance through the different species to see which ones you might encounter!ġ. Worldwide, there are more than 200 Picidae species of those, a diverse dozen can be found in Yosemite. In addition to using their atypical toe structure to balance on vertical trunks, woodpeckers wield their strong, stiff tails to brace themselves against bark and stay balanced as they peck away. While many other feathered flyers keep three toes forward ( anisodactyl), woodpeckers distribute their quartet of digits in zygodactyl fashion, with two pointing forward and two pointing backward. In classic avian fashion, woodpeckers have four toes on each foot. They have unusual feet (compared to other birds, at least).Their anatomical structure, which includes small brains and strong neck muscles, is perfectly suited to cushion their skulls from forceful blows, and beak-adjacent bristles keep them from inhaling wood chips. They have built-in brain-protection – and nose-guards.Downy woodpeckers, another Yosemite-dwelling species, are only about a third the size of their pileated peers. Pileated woodpeckers, the largest woodpecker species in Yosemite (and in North America), can be more than 18 inches long. Many woodpeckers have barbed or sticky tongues, ideal for ingesting insects. Woodpeckers use their long tongues to spear or slurp up snacks … and then tuck their marvelous mouth muscles away by curling them backwards over their skulls, under the skin. In addition to eating insects, woodpeckers nosh on sap (especially the sapsuckers, which, as their name implies, dine on sap and sap-eating insects), nuts, and other plant materials. You might think that nutcrackers belong in the woodpeckers’ neck of the taxonomic tree, but they’re actually in the Corvidae family, with jays, crows, ravens and magpies. Some birds in the Picidae family are called sapsuckers or flickers (whose scientific genus, Colaptes, is related to the Greek word for “peck”). ![]() ![]() Here are a few things you might not know about woodpeckers … Drumming tempos vary, but some species can beat their beaks against trees as many as 20 times per second. Unlike songbirds, woodpeckers don’t have a wide range of vocal stylings, so use their percussive prowess to mark territory or show off for potential mates. In addition to foraging for food or carving out nest cavities, woodpeckers use their tree-tapping talents as a communication tool. You probably know that woodpeckers get their name because they … peck wood. ![]()
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