Woodpeckers, part of the Picidae family, also include flickers and sapsuckers. Approximately 21 species inhabit the United States, and 200 species within this family exist worldwide. Physically, woodpeckers have short legs with two sharp-clawed, backward pointed toes and stiff tail feathers. These attributes help the bird cling to tree trunks, wood siding, or utility poles while pecking. In addition, woodpeckers have short, sharply pointed beaks for pecking into wood and a developed long tongue. The tongue is used to dislodge larvae or ants from their burrows in wood and bark, which benefits the environment. Yet, woodpeckers cause serious damage by drilling holes into wood-sided structures, wooden fences, power poles, and orchards. Houses and buildings with wood exteriors near wooded areas are particularly susceptible.
