Book 31, Question 29
How does a woodpecker’s head handle all that hammering?
A woodpecker taps very fast, yet it does not seem to get hurt.
Its beak, skull, and neck muscles are strong, and it pecks in a straight line so its head does not twist. The bird also closes its eyes at the moment of impact, and a flexible bone under the skull may help hold things steady. Scientists are still studying exactly how all the parts work together.
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Quick answers
How does a woodpecker’s head handle all that hammering?
Every time the bird pecks, the hyoid acts like a seat-belt for the bird's skull and the delicate brain it protects.
Source: ASU
More fun facts
- The bones in a woodpecker’s skull keep its brain comfortable and avoids concussions.
- It's called the hyoid bone, and it wraps all the way around a woodpecker's skull.
- The team also gathered computed tomography and scanning electron microscope analyses of woodpecker skulls, laying out in detail how the parts fit together and where bone density varied.
- The long hyoid bone has played a role of safety belt to woodpecker's head especially after impact.
Sources: ASU, BBC, National Institutes of Health