Dear Oberon,
Why do woodpeckers keep pecking on my metal roof and stovepipe where there aren’t any bugs?
Sincerely,
Bang Bang Bang
Dear Bang Bang Bang,
Your pseudonym is more apt than you know. I’m no ornithologist or melittologist, but I can tell you that
the answer to your question involves both birds and bees.
The period between Late April and the end of May is the woodpecker’s usual mating season. During
mating season, male woodpeckers have discovered that hitting their beaks on pieces of metal makes the
sound of their tapping much louder than it would be if they were pecking on wood. Normally, during the
rest of the year, woodpeckers are pecking to find insects, so they’re tapping on wood that isn’t as tough
and loud. Mating season, however, is a time to show the ladies what you’re working with.
The stronger a woodpecker is, the harder it will be able to tap, and the louder the sound it makes will
be. Hitting metal increases the reverberation of the sound and gives the woodpeckers who have figured
this out a reproductive advantage over those who haven’t. In nature, the driving purpose of most beings
is to achieve and maintain reproductive fitness to keep their genetic material within the gene pool. Due
to sexual selection by female woodpeckers, only the strongest (or canniest) males pass their genes on to
future generations.
Personally, I am of two minds about this technique of attracting mates. Firstly, as a bird, I admire their
ingenuity and dedication to the mating cause. I have worked on my own mating display until it is
something I can be proud of, and I know the energy required to throw your whole self behind your call
for love. On the other hand, I live right next to two cabins with a metal roofs on them and have been
woken many times from my day-naps by woodpeckers tapping ceaselessly. Do I begrudge them? Not at
all. Do I give them my owliest glare when I am roused from a nice snooze? You betcha.
Anyhoot, there’s your answer Bang Bang Bang. I hope you have a newfound appreciation for the
woodpeckers who tap the loudest on your stovepipe and you can cheer them on in their romantic
pursuits.
Cheers,
O