Recently, Woodpecker has become popular on social platforms.
In a video posted by a blogger, there were no bugs on the tree, but the woodpecker still pecked the tree out of a big hole.
Source: Internet
Is this still the 号 that captures pests hidden in tree trunks? Why did the trees still be destroyed? Will they not be concussed if they peck so hard?
01
tree or bug,
What exactly does the woodpecker peck?
What we usually call woodpeckers, broadly contains more than 30 genera and more than 220 birds under the order Woodpecker family .
Their dietary properties are very wide.
contains carnivorous, omnivorous and vegetative species, and the range of the recipes also covers arborized insects (such as larvae, etc.), grass-dwelling insects (such as locust grasshoppers), ground-dwelling insects (such as ant , etc.), or berries, nuts, and even species that absorb tree sap.
Source: Kuangwan Science
In fact, woodpeckers are not particularly picky in the spring and summer when food is abundant.
Whether it is arboreal species or a ground species, they will grasp a principle - eat whatever you can!
At this time, the woodpeckers will choose to capture food exposed within the field of view rather than pecking at the bark.
In the autumn when everything is bleak, it is not easy to find insects in the wild to eat.
However, there are quite a lot of overwintering insects who choose to survive the severe winter in the form of older larvae or pupae, and these foods with larger goals (growth to the point of pulp) and slower movement will naturally be at the forefront of the woodpecker recipe.
Therefore, it can be said that woodpeckers choose to peck trees and catch insects because they are not rich in food and are doing things to supplement the food source.
However, the following two types of woodpeckers are not foraging for food:
Juice-absorbing woodpeckers generally make a living by absorbing sugary saps. birch and maple trees with more sugary sap are their main lower objects. Therefore, their tree-pecking behavior is relatively less significant seasonal. Oak Woodpecker will collect acorns in autumn and winter every year.
gallery copyright pictures, reprinting
is not authorized to prepare for wintering and reproduction. They would chisel small holes after hole in the trunk and embed collected acorns one by one inside, the tree called their granary tree.
Oak woodpeckers often live in groups and hoard acorns together. There are up to 50,000 holes in a granary tree.
02
Concussion? It doesn't exist!
There are two main types of pecking movements in woodpeckers:
One is very frequent and has to hit the tree trunk more than a dozen times in a second, but the force is not strong each time. This kind of movement usually has nothing to do with finding insects to eat, it is to swear a place or show off.
Another type is to forage or build a nest. It will chisel wood very hard, and the frequency is not fast, but every time I try my best and will never give up until I pecked out the hole.
When woodpeckers dig holes, their heads stop moving within 0.5-1ms after touching the wood, and the acceleration can reach 1000g. A woodpecker averages 12,000 woodpeckers per day.
The reason why the woodpecker does not die of "concussion" is precisely because of the following two unique skills:
1. " Iron Head Kung "
Woodpecker has a special skull structure. Their skulls are thicker and have a layered skeleton structure constructed by sponge .
Its subarachnoid cavity is very small, and there is almost no cerebrospinal fluid , thus avoiding various problems caused by cerebrospinal fluid during woodpeckering.
At the same time, the brain is small and smooth, increasing the contact area with the skull.
When a woodpecker hits a tree, its beak hits the tree almost vertically, so that it will not break the beak due to lateral stress.
But its pecking position is constantly changing, which ensures that the point where the brain collides with the skull is constantly changing, thus avoiding the situation where a point is constantly under stress.
picture gallery copyright pictures, reprinting
is not authorized. In addition, the most magical one is its tongue.
The woodpecker's tongue is very long, and the part that can be extended is even longer than its own body. also has many barbs on the tip of the tongue. This tongue structure makes it easier for it to stick its tongue into the hole and firmly hook the prey.
What's more amazing is that its tongue actually circled its skull.
Because its tongue itself has excellent toughness, it is equivalent to providing a shock absorber for the brain.
Woodpecker's tongue. Gallery copyright picture, reprinting without authorization
2. "Perfect Lightness"
Among birds, the woodpecker's tree climbing skill is the first to none. It can fit the body close to the trunk and move its head quickly in all directions up, down, left and right without turning. This "light skill" is due to its feet and tail.
The woodpecker has 4 toes on each foot, arranged in the way of two fronts and two backs, and “spit” the body anywhere on the trunk.
Comparison of woodpecker footprints and other animals. The picture of the gallery copyright, unauthorized reprint
can inevitably shake by relying on the claws, and it will become tired after a long time. At this time, the function of the tail is revealed:
The tail feather of the woodpecker is very hard and wedge-shaped, which can support the body well. When tired, you can "sit" and rest with your tail. When pecking, you can also form a three-point combination with your feet to fix the body angle.
03
Is woodpecker really harmful?
1. Will woodpeckers really destroy trees?
In fact, woodpeckers prefer to forage on "sick" trees. Field observations have found that woodpeckers like to forage on dead or dead trees, and generally stay in healthy trees for a shorter time.
Healthy trees are dense in material and have less food, so it is more laborious to peck food. For woodpeckers, they invest more and produce less;
, and dead or dead trees are generally loose in texture, and some are even corrupt and hollow, and many insects are hidden in it, so it is relatively easy to forage on dead or dead trees.
Even if pecking the hole will cause a small number of trees to die, it will basically have no impact on the entire forest ecosystem , because the forest itself is a dynamic system, and trees have both life and death, so that the entire forest ecosystem will operate healthily.
2. It is not "Bird Classmate without Story"
Woodpecker is a primary cave nest bird. It digs a tree hole by itself and breeds in the hole.
Some birds do not have the ability to peck holes and need to use the old holes of woodpeckers or naturally formed tree holes for breeding. We call them secondary cave nest birds, such as big tits, gray starling , owl , etc.
Generally speaking, if there is no primary nesting bird in a certain area, the secondary nesting bird is likely to disappear.
It can be said that woodpeckers play an important role in the community organization of the entire forest ecosystem and are a veritable "cornerstone species".
Gallery Copyright Picture, unauthorized reprint
According to the "Chinese Animal Chronicle", Shandong Tai'an Forestry Institute (now Shandong Taishan Forestry Academy) conducted three consecutive experiments in more than 1,000 acres of Canadian poplar forests, and found that large spotted woodpecker has a good control effect on day bull , willow galls, yellow thorn moth and other pests.
Relevant research in Japan also shows that each red-necked woodpecker can eat pine brown pine bull 64 heads per day, which means that for 500 stands per hectare, if the tree damage rate is 1% or less, a red-necked woodpecker can effectively prevent and control pine bull pests.
In fact, from the perspective of biodiversity protection , there is no difference between good and bad in birds. All birds are components of the ecosystem and play specific roles in the food chain and food network, affecting, restricting and interlinking each other, keeping the entire ecosystem in a dynamic and stable state, providing humans with a natural environment for survival.
Source: Tadpole quintessence
