
The jack-hammered rivet gun rattles, splintering bark for morsel sized bug snacks. This rapid head banging ain't recommended for those without a rock hard skull and beak of tempered steel. It ain't possible without specialized toes - two pointing forward, two back - with sharp curved nails for secure clinging. It ain't accurate without heavy-duty, after-market tail feathers propped against the branch for balanced chiseling. This is the Pileated Woodpecker, Dryocopus pileatus, outfitted for serious DE-construction. Females sport a black mustache flowing backward from the beak, along the cheek. Males prefer sensuous red. This one, favorably exposed by the winter woods, is the hard working female.
© 131225-004 Pileated Woodpecker
Stone Mountain Park
Wednesday 25 December 2013
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