Sluggin' Along: The Vault: Near-passerine Birds

Whereas the Blue Jay is a passerine bird (a perching bird or songbird), the Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus) is, like all other woodpeckers, a near-passerine bird. This species is a member of the order Piciformes and is a tree-dwelling bird. It generally eats insects. Unlike the Blue Jay, which has anisodactyl feet, the Red-bellied Woodpecker has zygodactyl feet, allowing it to easily climb and cling to tree trunks.

The toe arrangement of the woodpecker is on the top right.

Don't be fooled by the name, though. A Red-bellied Woodpecker is more notable for its red head, although the name "Red-headed" is used by another woodpecker. Go figure!

Incidentally, if you're wondering how woodpeckers can hammer away without getting a headache or breaking their beak, remember that God gave them a sturdy beak and skull. Check this out:

You can read the accompanying article at: http://digimorph.org/specimens/Melanerpes_aurifrons/.

Another intriguing article is: "Protective nature: How woodpeckers could help improve helmet technology to prevent brain injuries". Also check out: "Do Woodpeckers Get Headaches? If Not, Why Not?" and "Why Woodpeckers Drum". In addition: "How woodpeckers avoid head injury". You can read the entire fascinating essay that the previous article mentions at "Why Do Woodpeckers Resist Head Impact Injury: A Biomechanical Investigation".

Here are some close-up shots of an adult male Red-bellied Woodpecker clinging to the trunk of a pine tree. Though we don't have any pine trees in our yard anymore, I can still hear this bird's call in the distance sometimes, as well as its unmistakable rapid tapping with its beak. By the way, I had to draw out my big lens (100-400 mm with 2X teleconverter) for this shoot. I remember leaning against the trunk of the tree, resting my heavy camera against it to steady each shot. The woodpecker kept staring down at me with that one eye, making sure I wasn't about to climb up after him. He remained wary throughout the shoot, but he did seem to pose a bit, showing off that splendid plumage.

**Note: I took these in 2005 but I'm copyrighting them in 2012.