Her work has appeared in National Wildlife magazine, WildBird, Bird Watcher's Digest online, and other publications. Melissa Mayntz is a birder and a writer, naturally writing about birds. With your help, woodpeckers can continue to make their varied sounds for generations to come. These efforts include best practices for land management with birds in mind, increased awareness of the importance of forest conservation, and direct protection of the most critical areas of habitats. Species with limited ranges and specialized habitat requirements, such as the Lewis's, Red-cockaded, and White-headed Woodpeckers, especially benefit from targeted conservation efforts. The Ivory-billed Woodpecker, for example, likely went extinct following widespread habitat loss and shooting in the southeastern United States. While many woodpeckers have healthy, even thriving, populations, increased habitat loss and pesticide use have put others at risk. But without protection, it is possible that the drumming, chatters, laughs, and churring may be heard less and less.Īmerican Bird Conservancy is working diligently to protect woodpeckers' habitats and to promote initiatives that can protect these birds. The more we learn about woodpeckers and their sounds, the more we can appreciate these birds' diversity and distinctiveness. Hairy Woodpecker by female_rck_953/Shutterstock Protecting Woodpecker Sounds
