Springtime brings a symphony of birds, such as woodpeckers! Both males and females will drum into dead or hollow trees to defend their territory and attract mates, mostly in early spring.
Woodpeckers are cavity-nesters, meaning they excavate holes in trees to raise young, sleep and store food. They make their nests in dead trees or trees with soft wood.
Woodpeckers have an important role in our local ecosystems. Like other cavity-nesting birds, woodpeckers eat bugs. As a result, they help control pest species like the invasive emerald ash borer (EAB).
They’re also “ecosystem engineers.” They hollow out their trees and once their chicks leave the nest, the cavities provide habitat for other wildlife, such as tree swallows, black-capped chickadees, white-breasted nuthatches, eastern screech owls, American kestrels, bats and squirrels. Keep an ear out for the drumming beats of woodpeckers in your neighbourhood this spring.
– article by CVC’s Crystal Kelly