Knock! Knock!
Who’s there? Woody. Woody who? Would you like to know about these noisy birds that are sooner heard than seen? Faraaz Abdool considers Tobago’s avian jackhammers. See more from Faraaz at farazabdool.com Mention the word “woodpecker” and many of us recall a single image of a large black bird with a conspicuous red head. In fact, this general description has made certain species of woodpecker instantly recognizable and one of the easiest birds to identify in the world. We owe this to the popularity of the cartoon character “Woody Woodpecker”, an endearing animated version of the Pileated Woodpecker – a large and conspicuous resident of North America’s forested areas – that entertained generations since the 1940’s. Woodpeckers are dramatic characters; much of their day is spent pounding their heads against the trunks and branches of trees in search of food items that can range from spiders to insect larvae. A hole is made in the bark, and the bird’s long, sticky and...