Amazing Animals: Woodpeckers

Amazing Animals: Woodpeckers

Bible Blast: Read Matthew 13:44-45

The laws of the LORD are true; each one is fair. They are more desirable than gold, even the finest gold. They are sweeter than honey, even honey dripping from the comb. Psalm 19:9-10

Woodpeckers come in several different colors and sizes. Some have bright red feathers on their heads, and some are just different shades of brown. The smallest woodpeckers are fewer than four inches long, while the bigger ones can be as big as two feet!

The tapping sound of the woodpecker is just their way of getting food. They have incredibly strong, pointy beaks that they use like little jackhammers to dig holes in trees or logs—or even the wood frame of your house! After the woodpeckers peck out a spot in the tree, they stick their really long tongue into the hole. God put a special, sticky goo on the ends of woodpeckers’ tongues so that when they pull their tongues back into their mouths, they have a beakful of critters. Woodpeckers also use their beaks to pry up pieces of bark to reveal the scrumptious grubs and bugs underneath. Yum! (Not!)

Here’s a little science experiment for you. Count one second. If you don’t have a watch handy, just say “One Mississippi,” and that’s about one second. Did you do it? That’s how long it takes for woodpeckers to peck twenty times! That’s some crazy-fast pecking! It seems as if all that pecking should really hurt their little birds’ heads, but the Creator took care of that. He put a spongy, soft spot behind their beaks to protect their heads and brains.

The tree-tappers have special talons on their feet—two facing forward and two facing backward so they can stay attached to the tree while they peck. The feathers on their tails are also really stiff so they can use them like a third leg for balance.

The woodpeckers work hard to get their food, but the reward is great. When we read God’s Word, we need to keep digging and digging to learn as much truth as we can. His Word has something for you every single day for every single situation you face in life.

Girl Gab: Do you have a woodpecker that visits your yard? If you want to attract them, you can get something called “suet” to smear on a tree or put in a special feeder, and you might hear the tapping soon! Dig in to God’s Word today!