This bird is pretty common in the Netherlands, and I’m pretty sure they are common in most of Eurasia. A good-looking bird with some nice black and white features, but the real star are the red highlights that shine in the sun. They are a taller than a blackbird but not by much. They are pretty cute compared to the behemoth woodpeckers they have in the US.
You see these guys near trees but I sometimes see them around my house which is cool. Most people know them for their distinct “trrrrrrrrrr” sounds of them hammering against a tree, but the sound they make out of their mouth sounds like a squeaky toy. It’s like a high pitched “pip”.
Like their name implies they peck at wood. They usually make little holes which they can grab bugs from, but in spring they make big holes to make a nest in. Their whole skull is designed around their wood pecking abilities. This is because, as anyone who has rammed their head into a tree 10 times in a row could tell you, you might get brain damage if you peck wood normally. Everything from their beak to the tissue around their brain is made to absorb the shocks from smacking it against a tree. Their skull is also designed to be able to eat bugs in the tree. Like I said they make a tiny hole but how do you get the bugs out? The answer is a big tongue. Their tongue wraps around their brain just so they have enough tongue to stick into the tree holes. Their tongue is also barbed on the end so bugs stick to it.
It's not all fun and games though, they sometimes get eaten by the sparrowhawk. Aside from that there is still a lot of fun, love seeing them jump up a tree looking for bugs.
