![]() ![]() Red-bellied woodpeckers are a somewhat puzzling case to bird watchers because the red hue in their bellies is often unnoticeably faint. Michigan is a woodpecker haven due to its unique habitat and dietary offerings. ![]() In the spring, many Michigan residents and visitors can hear the trademark drumming noise that many woodpecker species will make to attract mates, and it is a signal of warmer weather to come. Two of the most common Michigan woodpeckers, hairy woodpeckers and downy woodpeckers (also notable for their striking resemblance), can be found on forest trails and swampland throughout the coldest months. However, many woodpeckers do not migrate and are one of the few species that can keep a Michigan bird watcher busy in the winter season. Many Michigan residents enjoy searching for woodpeckers in the winter months, since many other animals will shelter or migrate for the cold Michigan winters. This allows a wide range of woodpeckers to find suitable habitats and feeding opportunities in Michigan. They are cared for by both adults.Michigan offers unique environments when compared with many other states, due to its dual peninsula setup and frontage on multiple Great Lakes. Young are naked at hatching and remain in the nesting cavity until ready to fly. White eggs (2-8), laid on a layer of wood chips, are incubated by both parents. Woodpeckers excavate a cavity in a tree trunk or branch, rarely in a bank, for nesting. Most species eat berries in season some even snap insects in flight. Certain species (eg, northern flicker) secure ants by a sticky secretion of the salivary glands that covers the long, extensible tongue. Sapsuckers bore a series of holes in the bark of deciduous trees to obtain running sap. Studies show that trees in which they dig holes contain larvae even if they appear insect-free. With chisellike bills, they dig into tunnels in wood where larvae live. Woodpeckers are very useful in destroying larvae of wood-boring insects. They also drum with the bill, particularly during nesting season and when they have found a particularly resonant surface. Woodpeckers have a loud voice and a variety of call notes. Stiffened, pointed tail feathers provide support when the birds climb up and down trees. The toes have strong, sharp, downward-curving nails, allowing the birds to cling to vertical tree trunks or to undersides of branches. A few species (2 occur in Canada) have 3 toes, 2 in front and one behind. Usually, legs are short and strong with 2 toes in front and 2 behind. Nostrils are hidden under tufts of bristlelike feathers. The chisel-shaped bill is strong and usually straight. ![]() Woodpeckers are heavy bodied and have moderately long, rather rounded wings, and round or wedge-shaped tails. Many species are barred, spotted or streaked, especially on underparts several have a prominent crest. Plumage can contain black, white, yellow, red, brown or green, in various combinations, and they often have red or yellow on the head. Their flight is strong, rapid and undulating. Most species are nonmigratory however, many found in Canada migrate. They are primarily arboreal, although some species such as the northern flicker spend much of their life on the ground. thyroideus) and northern flicker ( Colaptes auratus). arcticus and Dryocopus pileatus, respectively) yellow-bellied, red-breasted, red-naped and Williamson's sapsuckers ( Sphyrapicus varius, S. ![]() These are red-bellied, red-headed, Lewis's, hairy, downy, white-headed, three-toed, black-backed and pileated woodpeckers ( Melanerpes carolinus, M. Fourteen woodpecker species occur in Canada. Woodpeckers have almost worldwide distribution. Woodpecker (Picidae) is a large family of climbing birds comprising 216 species. ![]()
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