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Woodpeckers and allies | Piciformes
Spechtachtigen | Pícidos y afines
The foot has two toes forward and two back, a grip that lets the bird anchor itself upright on a trunk or a stem. Nearly all members breed in cavities they chisel or dig themselves; no nest material is brought in, and the round white eggs lie on the bare floor or on a few wood chips. The young hatch blind and usually naked, and carry a hardened pad on the heel joint that lets them rest on the rough floor of the chamber. Both parents incubate and feed, and keep the cavity clean.
Families in this order
- Woodpeckers | Picidae12 speciesA straight, chisel-shaped bill and a skull built to absorb the blows: the base of the bill rests on spongy bone, heavy neck muscles drive and steer the stroke, and the nostrils sit behind small covering feathers that keep out dust. The tongue is extremely long and tipped with barbs or sticky saliva; it is carried on two slender elongated bones that curve round the skull and push it far beyond the bill. In most species the tail feathers are stiff and pointed and serve as a third point of support in climbing, which goes up the trunk in short jerks, while the flight is undulating, a few beats and a dip on closed wings. Instead of song they drum: a fast series of blows on a resonant branch that announces the territory and draws a mate.