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| | |families= | | |families= |
| | |family=Picidae | | |family=Picidae |
| − | |subfamily= | + | |subfamily=Picinae |
| | |supertribe= | | |supertribe= |
| | |tribe= | | |tribe= |
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| | |conservation= | | |conservation= |
| | }} | | }} |
| − | A '''woodpecker''' is a [[bird]] that pounds its [[beak]] into a [[tree]]'s surface to find [[food]].<ref>http://www.defenders.org/wildlife_and_habitat/wildlife/woodpeckers.php</ref> There are 21 species of woodpeckers in the United States. <ref>Internet Center for Wildlife Damage Management, ''WOODPECKERS'', by Rex E. Marsh, 2005 [http://icwdm.org/handbook/birds/woodpeckers.asp]</ref>
| + | '''Woodpeckers''' consist of 180 species of tree-clinging birds of the family Picidae, characterized by the use of their beaks as a hammer on trees,<ref>http://www.defenders.org/wildlife_and_habitat/wildlife/woodpeckers.php</ref> either probing for food or chiseling out cavities to make nests. With the exception of Australia and New Guinea, woodpeckers are found world-wide, with twenty-one species in the United States.<ref>Internet Center for Wildlife Damage Management, ''WOODPECKERS'', by Rex E. Marsh, 2005 [http://icwdm.org/handbook/birds/woodpeckers.asp]</ref> |
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| | + | ==Description== |
| | + | Woodpeckers vary in size from three inches in the piculets (''Picumnus sp.'') of South America to twenty-four inches for the (possibly extinct) [[imperial woodpecker]] (''Campephilus imperialis'') of Mexico. All bear "zygodactyl" feet - two toes in front, two behind - as an aid in clinging to tree bark; in addition, stiffened tail feathers on most species help to prop the bird in a tripod stance when clinging vertically. |
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| | + | Woodpeckers are generally colored dark above, with light underbellies. Sexual dimorphism is present, with males displaying distinctive colors and patterns versus females. Most species feed on insects; some feed on fruits, and a few feed on the sap of trees. All woodpeckers have a long, sticky tongue, which is used to gather insects or sap after drilling into trees. |
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| | == Evidence against [[Evolution]] == | | == Evidence against [[Evolution]] == |
| − | The skull of the woodpecker is uniquely suited to absorb the intense shocks generated by its feeding habits<ref>http://blogs.wsj.com/ideas-market/2011/02/18/woodpecker-skulls-ultimate-shock-absorbers/</ref>. If the skull was weaker at some point in the past, the bird would not have been able to feed in such a manner. But if the bird didn't feed in such a manner, then what would have been the reason for it to evolve a thicker skull? [[Evolutionists]] have not been able to produce an answer to this question. | + | The skull of the woodpecker is uniquely suited to absorb the intense shocks generated by its feeding habits.<ref>https://blogs.wsj.com/ideas-market/2011/02/18/woodpecker-skulls-ultimate-shock-absorbers/</ref> If the skull was weaker at some point in the past, the bird would not have been able to feed in such a manner. But if the bird didn't feed in such a manner, then what would have been the reason for it to evolve a thicker skull? [[Evolutionists]] have not been able to produce an answer to this question. |
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| | == References == | | == References == |
| | <references/> | | <references/> |
| − | == External Links == | + | == External links == |
| − | http://creagrus.home.montereybay.com/woodpeckers.html | + | * http://creagrus.home.montereybay.com/woodpeckers.html |
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| | [[Category:Birds]] | | [[Category:Birds]] |