I’M HUNGRY - Male Nuttall’s Woodpecker Taking Care of Business

After feeding one of his boys this male Nuttall’s Woodpecker does a little house cleaning, carefully timing his entrance as not to get jabbed by a rambunctious adolescent. Woodpeckers are primary cavity nesters (they excavate their own nesting holes). Once their chicks fledge, the cavity is available for secondary cavity nesters that have no ability to excavate a home for themselves. Because of this, woodpeckers are considered keystone species that encourage biodiversity.