Animals are often named after some physical characteristic they may have such as the black bear or the white-tailed deer or the duck-billed platypus. They may also derive their name from a sound they make such as the screech owl or the hummingbird. But a few have earned their moniker from what they do.
Woodpeckers peck wood, with vigor. They are nature’s jackhammers using their strong, shock-absorbing, chisel-like beaks to drill into the trunks of trees to find food. Under the tree bark the birds find insects, insect eggs and larvae, and in the case of some species of woodpecker tree sap that is rich in sucrose and other nutrients.
Sometimes the rapid hammering sound one might hear coming from high in a tree is not a bird searching for food, but that of a woodpecker creating a hole in which to build its nest. With that excavation a lot of wood chips and chunks are created. Some are removed by the bird, but some are left to fall to the bottom of the chamber where they create a comfy layer on which to construct a nest.
One local species of woodpecker, the northern flicker, is particularly industrious when it comes to excavating holes in trees. Flickers not only create a lot of holes, they also make holes that are big enough to accommodate many different species, but small enough so that the entrance feels safe and secure to them. An entrance hole about three inches in diameter provides access to a nesting chamber, also about three inches in diameter. The chamber increases in size, however, to about seven inches in diameter at the bottom to accommodate eggs, an incubating parent and later, a clutch of growing chicks.
When they are not excavating nesting cavities in trees flickers, unlike other woodpeckers, are on the ground searching for food like ants and beetles.
Woodpeckers in general are “keystone” species – meaning they have a disproportionately large impact on their ecosystem relative to their abundance. As such, they play a crucial role in maintaining the structure and function of the natural community, of which they are a part.
Woodpecker holes are extremely valuable real estate in nature’s housing market. Some estimates are that 30 percent of all woodland bird species in North America use woodpecker holes at some point during their lifecycle. Some of those species include northern house wrens, western bluebirds, tree swallows, some raptors like American kestrels and western screech owls, and even waterfowl like wood ducks.
Cavities created by woodpeckers, like the northern flicker, support many other species of animals, as well – mammals, insects, and reptiles – that use their excavated cavities for nesting, to hide from predators, or for a warm roosting/resting spot that’s protected from the elements.
Mammals that use woodpecker holes include bats (the big brown bat in our area), mice, and raccoons. Reptiles like the common western fence or “blue-bellied” lizard, as well as snakes, use woodpecker holes to den, rest, and maybe even raise young. It’s mostly gopher snakes that use woodpecker holes, but garter snakes and racers are known to occasionally use them, as well.
Keep an eye and ear out for nature’s jackhammers when outdoors anywhere but especially when exploring near oak or riparian woodlands.
California is home to 14 species of woodpeckers, three of which live near Los Banos – the downy and Nuttall’s woodpeckers and the northern flicker. The little downy is the smallest woodpecker at less than seven inches tall and weighing only one ounce. Its black and white plumage includes a strikingly patterned back, white underside and red feathers on the nape of the male’s neck.
The Nuttall’s is a little larger at seven inches tall and weighing more than an ounce and a half. It too is black and white overall with a barred pattern on is back and a red crown for males of the species. This bird prefers oak and riparian woodlands and is found exclusively in California.
The northern flicker has two varieties or sub-species. The one found here and throughout the western United States is the “red-shafted,” while its cousin, the “yellow-shafted” sub-species lives in the East. Flickers, at about 10 inches tall and two and a half ounces, are larger than the downy or Nuttall’s woodpeckers. Flickers are brown-colored birds with black scalloped feathers, a solid black bib and a white rump visible when it flies.
While not found near Los Banos, two other woodpecker species can be found elsewhere in Merced County. The acorn woodpecker is prevalent in large stands of oak trees because its primary food is – ta da – acorns! Lewis’s woodpecker can be seen in the foothills during spring and fall.
The San Luis National Wildlife Refuge, Merced National Wildlife Refuge and the San Joaquin River National Wildlife Refuge comprise the San Luis National Wildlife Refuge Complex. Its headquarters and visitor center are located just north of Los Banos off Highway 165 at 7376 South Wolfsen Road.
The refuges are open to visitors daily from one half-hour before sunrise to one half-hour after sunset. The visitor center is open Monday through Friday except federal holidays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For more information, call the refuge visitor center at 209-826-3508, ext. 127 or check out the upcoming events on the website at fws.gov/refuge/san-luis.
