Miracle Flying Woodpecker

Among the tens of thousands of birds, the woodpecker is distinguished by an incredible force, with a rate of 20 to 25 clicks per second and a force equivalent to hitting an adult’s head against a wall at a speed of 25 kilometers per hour. Woodpeckers can pierce trees with the utmost simplicity

The woodpecker is one of the most famous bird species, as it is characterized by a set of characteristics.. It has habits that it performs regularly and strangely. It is also distinguished by its pointed beak, which it uses in digging trees by continuous rapid clicking. This bird also has a solid tail that it uses with its feet in Fixing itself on trees, woodpeckers feed on worms and beetles, and Woodpeckers build their nest in a strange way, digging a hole in the tree

Then he digs a long corridor perpendicular to the entrance to the hole inside the tree trunk with a length of 30 cm. At the bottom of this corridor, a female woodpecker lays her eggs from 4-7 small eggs. Forests with old or dead trees are the most suitable environment for woodpeckers, where they find insects and worms, which are widely spread in those trees. There are different sizes of woodpeckers, some of which start as long as 7 inches. Male woodpeckers are distinguished by the spread of red feathers in their heads more often than females. Why do woodpeckers pierce trees?

Usually the woodpecker bird does this to make the nest, and store food for the winter, and the sound of clicks is a language of communication used by the bird during the mating seasons.

But how can a woodpecker pierce trees so easily?!

The mechanism that woodpeckers use to pierce trees can be described as miraculous, as it can do this over and over again without feeling tired, thanks to its unique anatomical structure

1_ skull

The woodpecker has a thick skull made of hollow bone that looks like a sponge, which contributes to absorbing the shocks caused by the drilling..

As for the bird's brain, it is relatively small and tightly stacked inside the skull, which prevents its movement

The beak is straight, pointed, flexible and has a thick base, in addition to the woodpecker's tongue that wraps around the entire skull, which contributes to additional fixation, just like a seat belt

2_ claws

The woodpecker has four very strong claws that help it cling well to the tree while digging, in addition to the bird's tail representing a base that maintains its balance and transmits the shock directly to the tree.

Ultra precision

When the woodpecker digs, it draws clicks along equal lines, which protects the bird's beak from breaking and gives it more accuracy and speed, in addition to the woodpecker bird has an inner eyelid that protects it from small wood flying from trees such as safety glasses used by craftsmen

Unique engineer oak pecker

The "oak woodpecker" makes holes in the logs of the "oak" trees to store its food from the "walnuts" for the winter.

But how is this process done?

At first he chooses one of the trees, then makes one hole that fits the size of each “nut” with extreme accuracy and with specific measurements so that the hole is not wide and it is difficult for the bird to retrieve the “nut” again or narrow and the “nut” is broken and damaged.

This process allows the "nuts" to ripen within the bark of the tree, giving them greater cohesion over time

Believe it or not... One "oak" tree can contain about five thousand "acorns", which secures the bird's entire store of food during the winter...

A study examines the effect of tapping tree trunks on the brain of a woodpecker

Research published on Friday shows for the first time that all this pecking appears to leave traces on the woodpecker's brain.

Scientists said that an examination found the accumulation of a protein known as (tau) in the brains of woodpeckers, which in humans is linked to brain damage from neurological diseases and head trauma.

The researchers examined brain tissue from a woodpecker and another species of bird that does not peck. The research samples were drawn from the holdings of the Field Museum in Chicago and the Museum of Natural History at Harvard University. It turns out that the protein (tau) accumulates in the brain tissue of woodpeckers, unlike other birds that do not peck.

"It was thought that woodpeckers did not suffer from a brain injury ... This research appears to suggest otherwise," said George Farah, who co-authored the study published in the journal PLOS ONE and is a Boston University School of Medicine graduate.

Scientists are now trying to determine whether a buildup of the protein (tau) indicates brain damage or is it protective.

Peter Cummings, a professor of neurology at Boston University School of Medicine, said he plays soccer. Woodpecker brain.

Woodpeckers have many adaptations to mitigate the effect of clicking, including the beak, skull, tongue, and the space between the brain and skull.

By clicking in search of food, such as insects, or to attract a female, the woodpecker experiences what is known as the force of acceleration (G force), the effect of acceleration on the body. The click causes an acceleration force of up to 1400G. A person can suffer a concussion at an acceleration force of 60 to 100 G.

The protein tau helps stabilize nerve cells in the brain. If nerve cells are damaged, a type of protein (tau) can build up, sometimes altering brain function. There are many types of tau, and some of them may be protective, Cummings said.

"If clicking leads to increased accumulation of tau, then our study cannot tell the difference between tau that can be protective or pathological.

"But it can be assumed that since these birds have been living and growing for millions of years, traumatic neurological disease may not be a problem."