4 ms·

This explanation is apparently controversial https://www.science.org/content/article/contrary-popular-belief-woodpeckers-don-t-protect-their-brains-when-headba

This explanation is apparently controversial https://www.science.org/content/article/contrary-popular-belief-woodpeckers-don-t-protect-their-brains-when-headbanging-trees https://www.science.org/content/article/contrary-popular-bel...

endorphine 3y ago
> Whether digging for food, constructing housing, or luring mates, woodpeckers bang their heads into trees about 20 times per second. Is that correct? I can't wrap my head around this, how is it possible that they do it so fast?
- sqren 3y ago
  If you've ever heard a wood pecker in action, 20/second doesn't sound completely crazy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6XOyUey4nQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6XOyUey4nQ
  - ranting-moth 3y ago
    Interesting how its more like a bouncing ball easing off the bounce, instead of a pneumatic hammer.
    - willis936 3y ago
      Scaling laws help.
    - lolcatuser 3y ago
      I don't know how they work internally, but I can say that power hammers used for blacksmithing sound similar to the woodpecker in the video, only much slower. A couple hard, fast hits with absurd force before slowing down and stopping. I'm guessing the woodpecker behaves that way because it's putting momentum into the hitting, even if that doesn't totally make sense in my head. When hammering on something, it's easiest to let the gravity do most of the work and focus your effort on aiming and raising the hammer, so you naturally have 1-2 hits that are solely momentum based at the end. The woodpecker is horizontal, though, - not pecking in line with gravity - so my thought process isn't a perfect analogue. But if their tongue works like a spring then I can imagine it making sense.
    - yarg 3y ago
      Whatever energy goes back into the bounce necessarily isn't going into the tree. The woodpecker is constantly applying it's force toward the tree so the bounce dampens over time.
- Somatochlora 3y ago
  They definitely don't peck this fast when digging for food or making holes - those are slower more powerful strikes. The fasy drums are for the purpose of making noise.

endorphine 3y ago

> Whether digging for food, constructing housing, or luring mates, woodpeckers bang their heads into trees about 20 times per second. Is that correct? I can't wrap my head around this, how is it possible that they do it so fast?

sqren 3y ago
If you've ever heard a wood pecker in action, 20/second doesn't sound completely crazy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6XOyUey4nQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6XOyUey4nQ
- ranting-moth 3y ago
  Interesting how its more like a bouncing ball easing off the bounce, instead of a pneumatic hammer.
  - willis936 3y ago
    Scaling laws help.
  - lolcatuser 3y ago
    I don't know how they work internally, but I can say that power hammers used for blacksmithing sound similar to the woodpecker in the video, only much slower. A couple hard, fast hits with absurd force before slowing down and stopping. I'm guessing the woodpecker behaves that way because it's putting momentum into the hitting, even if that doesn't totally make sense in my head. When hammering on something, it's easiest to let the gravity do most of the work and focus your effort on aiming and raising the hammer, so you naturally have 1-2 hits that are solely momentum based at the end. The woodpecker is horizontal, though, - not pecking in line with gravity - so my thought process isn't a perfect analogue. But if their tongue works like a spring then I can imagine it making sense.
  - yarg 3y ago
    Whatever energy goes back into the bounce necessarily isn't going into the tree. The woodpecker is constantly applying it's force toward the tree so the bounce dampens over time.
Somatochlora 3y ago
They definitely don't peck this fast when digging for food or making holes - those are slower more powerful strikes. The fasy drums are for the purpose of making noise.