The Strength of Woodpeckers

Woodpeckers make their nests and food stores by pecking holes in trees. The speed at which a woodpecker bores into a tree with its bill is approximately 40 kilometers/hour (25 miles/hour). This, in fact, is an extraordinary speed that might have damaged the woodpecker. However, there is a special locking system in the bird’s beak so that it does not sustain injury. If this special system did not exist, the woodpecker's beak would crack in two because of that high speed. Besides, if the impact of the stroke went directly to the brain, then the bird would lose consciousness. Yet, such a thing never happens since Allah created the bird together with what it needs. The woodpecker's brain is placed at the same level as its beak. Muscles on the lower part of the beak act like “shock absorbers” and reduce the shock that occurs while boring into the tree.

Bir Bitki Doguyor

What we have mentioned so far are only a few of the general characteristics of woodpeckers. Apart from those mentioned, every woodpecker species has many characteristics peculiar to itself. Now let's consider a kind of woodpecker that hides acorns in trees.

Bir Bitki Doguyor

Throughout summer, the acorn woodpecker bores “holes” in a dead tree trunk because at the end of the summer it will fill these holes with acorns, on which it will feed during winter. Acting like a hammer, it drives one acorn in each hole. This takes a great deal of the woodpecker's time because it tries to find the acorn that fits exactly into the hole it has bored. If the hole is big and the acorn is small, then the loose acorn will easily be taken by other birds. If the hole is smaller than the acorn, then the acorn will be damaged while it is being forced into the hole. Therefore, it takes some time for the woodpecker to place acorns by trial and error.

Yet there is even more that a woodpecker needs to do. As acorns dry over time they become smaller. This means that the woodpecker has to replace dry acorns with fresh ones.

It should also be noted that the woodpecker does not merely store 5 to 10 acorns; an acorn woodpecker can stock approximately 50,000 acorns in a big tree.

Reflecting upon these interesting characteristics, we understand that there is a superior Power Who teaches all these things to woodpeckers. This power is Allah. Allah created the beaks of woodpeckers strong enough to drill bark. It is Allah Who taught them everything they do. There is no other god and Creator besides Allah. Allah informs us that He created everything:

That is Allah, your Lord. There is no god but Him, the Creator of everything. So worship Him. He is responsible for everything. (Surat al-An‘am: 102)

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  • Introduction
  • Blind Termites Building Skyscrapers
  • Security Measures of Animals
  • The Compass in the Ant's Eye
  • The Marvelous Co-Operation of the Ant and the Bird
  • Little Engineering Birds
  • The Heating System of the Winter Moth
  • How Do Salmon Find Their Way?
  • How Do Fish Live in Water?
  • How Do Macaws Know Chemistry?
  • Engineering in the Cobweb
  • An Interesting Creature: The Nautilus
  • The Male Catfish on Duty
  • Butterflies That Have a Knowledge of Physics
  • Did You Know about Luminescent Creatures?
  • Luminescent Underwater Creatures
  • The Sleeping Bag of the Parrotfish
  • The Skillful Camouflage of the Scorpion Fish
  • Interesting Features of Sea Horses
  • Dragonflies: Flight Machines
  • Secret Shelters in the Seas: Corals
  • Life in the Desert
  • The Special Cooling System of Gazelles
  • The Strength of Woodpeckers
  • Cute Squirrels with Big Cheeks
  • The Bird with the Longest Wings in the World: the Albatross
  • Adornment Artists: Bowerbirds
  • Birds Which Lay Foundations for Their Young
  • The Powerful Memory of Jays
  • The Armored Tanks of the Animal Kingdom
  • Migratory Birds That can Fly Even in the Dark of the Night
  • Cleaning Workers of the Seas
  • The Noisy Cicada
  • Cleaner Birds
  • Pond Skaters That Walk on Water
  • Tenacious Suckerfish
  • Walking Fish with Red Lips
  • Colorful Herons
  • Parakeets That can Survive A Month Without Water
  • The Structure of Birds' Feathers
  • Birds' Techniques for Gliding
  • The Water Bird That Cuts Through the Water Like Scissors
  • Cuttlefish Like Jet Engines
  • Greylag Geese
  • A Matchless Security System
  • Conclusion