Woodpecker: thanks to his brain he “beats” without getting hurt

A recent study from the University of Antwerp, Belgium, found that the skull of the peaks it does not dampen shocks. The brains of small birds can therefore be at risk of head injury from their constant hammering on the trunks. Woodpeckers are typical of their hammering at trees. They poke holes in the bark to look for insect larvae or to find the most suitable nesting place.

Their hammering also serves a purpose of signaling their territory to rival species. Their drumming has a personal rhythm. that of the great spotted woodpecker it has the fastest percussion of all other peaks at 10-16 beats per second. It has a sound similar to a “tratatatatata”, while that of the lesser spotted woodpecker is lighter and resonates like a “tiritiritiriti”.

The researchers analyzed videos of three different types of high-speed spikes. They quantified the delay of the skull after a collision with the surface. Then they made virtual models with simulations of woodpecker pecks. This is to understand how it was possible to soften all that power after each cock. Here the answer reveals that the spikes skull does not absorb the shocks of the impact.

The researchers then explain how these animals can survive the constant tapping on wood. The structure of their skull does not protect them. Theirs brain however, it is so small compared to other animals that it manages to avoid flapping with every cock. Obviously, if he hit a concrete or metal surface, the risk of concussion would be high. The research results also explain why woodpeckers do not have very large head and neck muscles. The larger skull and stronger cock can lead to severe brain trauma. We can therefore be calm and not live in fear about the spikes, their lives are not in danger.