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Woodpeckers, Nuthatches and Creepers Family Picidae (Woodpeckers) Northern Flicker Pileated Woodpecker Red-bellied Woodpecker Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Hairy Woodpecker Downy Woodpecker Red-headed Woodpecker Woodpeckers rank among the most iconic birds in the United States. While they communicate through both songs and calls like other birds, they are known to attract a mate in breeding season by "drilling" on hollow tree trunks. Most woodpeckers have three distinct pecking patterns: one for excavating a nest hole, one for foraging, and one for attracting a mate. The types of holes made also vary between species. For example, Pileated Woodpeckers make large, clumsy, rectangular holes, while yellow-bellied Sapsuckers make organized rows of very small round holes. Only two other woodpecker species have ever been recorded in South Carolina: the Red-Cockaded Woodpecker and the Ivory-billed Woodpecker. The former is on the federally endangered species list and breeds only in highly localized patches of mature pine (which is not found on campus), while the latter may be extinct. Pictured at right is a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. Family Sittidae (Nuthatches) Brown-headed Nuthatch White-breasted Nuthatch Red-breasted Nuthatch While very much like woodpeckers in many respects, nuthatches can be easily differentiated from woodpeckers in the field by their tendency to travel headfirst down a trunk as they forage. Woodpeckers, on the other hand, tend to climb up the tree. For this reason, nuthatches also lack the sturdy tails that serve to brace woodpeckers against trees. There are no other species of nuthatch endemic to the Eastern United States besides those found on campus. Pictured at right is a Brown-headed Nuthatch. Family Certhiidae (Creepers) Brown Creeper These highly camouflaged birds are hard to spot as they work their way around tree trunks in pursuit of insects and larvae. They share the woodpecker-like characteristic of bracing themselves with a sturdy tail as they climb upwards. No other creeper species occurs in the Eastern United States. Furman University • 3300 Poinsett Hwy • Greenville, SC 29613 •
Furman University • 3300 Poinsett Hwy • Greenville, SC 29613 •
