In 2024, Wild River State Park celebrated black bears and took steps to reduce human-bear conflict with great success. This year our focus shifts to the lives of woodpeckers. Seven distinct species can be found at Wild River. How many can you name? (See answer at end of article).

All woodpeckers share some common characteristics. They use strong beaks to search for food under bark and excavate holes in trees. Their tongues are sticky and so long that they wrap up around their skulls. Most birds have feet with three toes pointing forward and one pointing back, but woodpeckers are among a small number of birds with zygodactyl feet. Having two toes that point forward and two that point back helps with gripping and climbing trees, an activity that woodpeckers engage in regularly.

An exciting thing happened in 2024. (Spoiler alert, here comes one of the woodpecker names). Red-headed Woodpeckers moved in, and not just one or two, but a colony of 15-20. Young birds appeared, so they likely raised offspring in the park! Why is this exciting? Red-headed Woodpecker numbers have declined by 95% in Minnesota since 1967.

Wild River is undertaking a 10-acre oak savanna restoration, which happens to be a beloved plant community for Red-headed Woodpeckers. Oak savanna is also rare, covering only about 1% of its historic MN range. They nest in cavities in dead trees
and “flycatch” for insects in the open understory.

Next time you come to the park, look for them from the main park road between the trail center and visitor center turnoffs. During the summer, we’ll be offering Woodpecker Walk & Talks and evening programs about woodpeckers and oak savannas. These will be on the park’s event calendar.

(Now for the woodpecker names! Pileated, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Northern Flicker, Downy, Hairy, Red-bellied, and, of course, Red-headed.)