These birds are awesome. I love seeing and hearing them in the woods. Folks are quick to mistake them for Red-headed Woodpeckers which I, personally, am not a fan of. I find them a bit frightening! As someone who’s probably watched a few too many horror films, the Red-headed Woodpecker just conjures up a gruesome, Quentin Tarantino version of Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds. So much blood. So Gross. I digress. But, see for yourself, is this a creepy looking bird?
Nevertheless, I love the way these birds are built. Did you know that their tongues retract deep into their heads and actually wrap around their brains to cushion their little brains while they’re hammering away at the side of a tree, in search of delicious insects. Not only are their tongues three times longer than their bills’ length, but they are also highly maneuverable, cylindrical, pointed, and barbed at the tip. It’s true!
1/2000 sec at f/7.1, ISO 2000, 480mm, Sony A7R IV