Interesting Facts About Woodpeckers – Birds in Kanha
Just imagine, you banging your head against a wall or a tree all day long. Painful, isn’t it? Then how does these little fellas, the woodpeckers get away with any injury despite pecking trees most of the time?
Studies have shown that the little drummer’s skull is cushioned with a thick and spongy bone. Their hyoid bones (also present in humans as horseshoe-shaped bone) act as seat belts and provide additional support to their brains. Their beak is designed in a way to equally reduce the pecking impact. Moreover, short breaks between the pecking session gives the brain the time to cool down thus minimizing the chances of injuries. Quite a damage proof anatomy for a little bird!
Photographs by :Â Chinmay Deshpande | Content : Malvika Verma