Red-Bellied Woodpecker Adaptations

Common all over the eastern United States and Southeastern Canada, the red bellied woodpecker lives in a variety of different hardwood forests. All woodpeckers have unique biological adaptions that have allowed them to evolve into the unique wood-working species that they are and live off of the denizens of the insides of trees. Red-bellied woodpeckers are a prime example of the success of these adaptions and feature several special signatory characteristics of their own.

  1. Hard Beaks

    • The red bellied woodpecker has evolved a super tough and hardy beak, used for pecking through the bark of hardwood trees and getting at beetles, ants, grasshoppers and other insects who try to hide from it. They also use this beak to open acorns and other hard nuts and seeds. This special beak also plays a significant role in the mating behavior of the red bellied woodpecker; they tap out loud sounds on trees and even metal poles to attract a potential mate. Sometimes red bellied woodpeckers even tap on cars and often cause damage to paint jobs in the process.

    Bony Tongues

    • Unlike the tongues of humans and most animals, the tongues of woodpeckers are supported by a cartilage and bone skeleton, much like the human nose. This bony tongue works much like a human finger and searches out prey that is hidden within the bark of trees after the beak has cracked it open. Red bellied woodpeckers have evolved some of the longest of these bony tongues of all the woodpecker species, with tongues that extend for three times the length of the beak, allowing them to deeply explore holes in wood for food.

    Shock Proof Skull

    • Because woodpeckers spend so much of their time hammering their heads against very hard surfaces, they have special physical adaptions that protect their brain from shock. There is minimal space for the brain to move within the red bellied woodpeckers head, which means that the chance of getting a concussion is minimized.

    Flashy Colors

    • Like many bird species, the male red bellied woodpeckers sport bright colors in order to attract female mates. The bright red marking on the heads and bellies of the red bellied woodpeckers stand out very well in white snowy conditions, a feature that defines the eastern forests where they make their home.