Woodpeckers have zygodactyl feet which means they have two toes pointing forward and two pointing backward, but can move one of the backward toes forward as needed. Osprey and owls also have zygodactyl feet.

Woodpeckers will drum (fast pecking) during mating season to attract a mate or defend a territory.

Woodpecker tongues are very long, up to 1/3 of their body length. They use this long tongue to access food that other birds can’t. This tongue when not in use coils around the back of its’ skull. Which North American woodpecker has the longest tongue? It’s the Northern Flicker.

Woodpeckers avoid head injury from pecking and drumming due to several factors - they have a hyoid bone which wraps around their skull which protects against shock, the specialized beak and skull can redirect the impact to the rest of the body, even the long coiled tongue helps protect the skull.

A study published in the journal Diversity and Distributions in 2017 found that nearly 20% of all bird species in the world depend on tree cavities for roosting or nesting, and a subsequent analysis found that there are some areas of the world where nearly all cavities occupied by birds are made by woodpeckers.