General Information

Woodpeckers gained their English name because of their habit to tap and peck noisily on tree trunks with their beaks. This is both a means of communication to signal territory possession to their rivals, and a way to locate and access insect larvae found under the bark or in long winding tunnels in the tree.

Physical Description

Some woodpeckers and wrynecks in the order Piciformes have zygodactyl feet, with two toes pointing forward, and two backward. These feet can be used for clinging to a vertical surface, grasping, or perching. Several species have only three toes. The woodpecker's long tongue, in many cases as long as the woodpecker itself, can be darted forward to capture insects. The tongue is not attached to the woodpecker's head in the same way as it is in most birds, but instead it curls back up around its skull, which allows it to be so long. The Orange-Backed Woodpecker has brown feathers on its wings and is tipped with a bright orange color. Its head has the traditional red Mohawk and its eyes are small and beady.

Diet

Eats small insects, larvae, and other forms of tiny grub. They also eat fruit, acorns, and nuts.

Habitat

This is the only woodpecker in the genus Reinwardtipicus. It is found in Indonesia and prefers living in forests.  Woodpeckers can be found in wooded areas all over the world, except in Australia.

Reproduction 
       
Woodpeckers also use their beaks to create larger holes for their nests, which are 6-18 inches below the opening. These nests are lined only with wood chips and hold 2-8 white eggs laid by the females. Because the nests can't be seen, they are not visible to predators and eggs do not need to be camouflaged. Cavities created by woodpeckers are also reused as nests by other birds, such as grackles, starlings, some ducks and owls, and mammals, such as tree squirrels.