A new study reveals how woodpeckers combine breathing and whole-body coordination to drill into trees with extraordinary force.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] - It's one of nature's mysteries: How can woodpeckers, the smallest of which weigh less than an ounce, drill permanent holes into massive trees using only their tiny heads? New research shows that there's much more at play, anatomically: When a woodpecker bores into wood, it uses not only its head but its entire body, as well as its breathing.
In a study published in the Journal of Experimental Biology, a team led by biologists at Brown University reveals how woodpeckers combine breathing and whole-body coordination to drill into trees with extraordinary force.
"These findings expand our understanding of the links between respiration, muscle physiology and behavior to perform extreme motor feats and meet ecological challenges," said lead author Nicholas Antonson, a postdoctoral research fellow in ecology, evolution and organismal biology at Brown.
The team studied downy woodpeckers, the smallest species of woodpeckers in North America, which populate forested areas throughout the United States and Canada. Most scientists who investigate woodpecker physiology focus on neck muscles, said study co-author Matthew Fuxjager, a professor of ecology, evolution and organismal biology at Brown who has been studying woodpeckers for over a decade.
"We're left to wonder, where does all the power come from?" Fuxjager said. "Where does the protection come from? Those questions stimulated our study, which took a more whole-body approach."
In experiments conducted in Fuxjager's lab, the scientists offered woodpecker study subjects some of their favorite types of wood and then measured the muscles the birds employed while drilling. The team used high-speed video to observe frame-by-frame, every 4 milliseconds, how the birds' head positioning coordinated with activation of various muscles. They also measured air pressure and airflow in the birds' airways.
After the woodpeckers were released back into the wilds of Rhode Island, the researchers analyzed the data and made several discoveries. First, they concluded that woodpeckers don't just use their neck muscles to strike.
