Woodpecker

Hairy Woodpecker, Dendrocopos villosus
Scientific classification
Kingdom Information
Domain |  Eukaryota
Kingdom |  Animalia
Subkingdom |  Bilateria
Branch |  Deuterostomia
Phylum Information
Phylum |  Chordata
Sub-phylum |  Vertebrata
Infraphylum |  Gnathostomata
Class Information
Superclass |  Tetrapoda
Class |  Sauropsida
Sub-class |  Avialae
Infra-class |  Aves
Order Information
Superorder |  Passerimorphae
Order |  Piciformes
Sub-order |  Pici
Infraorder |  Picides
Family Information
Superfamily |  Picoidea
Family |  Picidae
Sub-family |  Picinae
Population statistics

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,[1] 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.[2]

## Contents

* 1 Description
* 2 Evidence against Evolution
* 3 References
* 4 External links

## Description[edit]

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.

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.

## Evidence against Evolution[edit]

The skull of the woodpecker is uniquely suited to absorb the intense shocks generated by its feeding habits.[3] 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.

## References[edit]

1. ↑ http://www.defenders.org/wildlife_and_habitat/wildlife/woodpeckers.php
2. ↑ Internet Center for Wildlife Damage Management, WOODPECKERS, by Rex E. Marsh, 2005 [1]
3. ↑ https://blogs.wsj.com/ideas-market/2011/02/18/woodpecker-skulls-ultimate-shock-absorbers/

## External links[edit]

* http://creagrus.home.montereybay.com/woodpeckers.html