I have five different species of woodpeckers in my background and every year, I watched them establishing territories, excavating or re-using cavities and most excitedly, I get to see the fledglings and families forage around. My curiosity and love for them as lead me to take this course. I am mind-blown by  this first unit about the diversity and beauty of the family of woodpeckers! I am also making sense now of the plumage mimicry happening as I have witnessed how the Hairy woodpeckers at my feeders "get respect"; other birds will give them space to feed and so, if a Downy shows up shortly after, they will get the same space. But I have also seen them come to the feeders first and not have any privilege: then, they stick to the suet where their hanging abilities provides them with superior positioning for feeding. So it appears that looking like the more brash neighbor does have its advantage! I agree with all the comments about the Acorn Woodpecker: how fascinating! I am so looking forward to learn more about these incredible birds.

I think I was most surprised by how many different species of woodpeckers there are - and how similar some are to each other when they are not closely related. I was also fascinated to learn about the acorn woodpeckers. I've often wondered what the red-bellied woodpeckers that come to my feeders do with the unshelled peanuts they take away and how they keep the squirrels from getting them.

I very much appreciated seeing the Acorn Woodpeckers in action and learning about their social structure. I also appreciated seeing the variety of colours and also learn of the concept of mimicry. Actually, I'm having a great time following this course, thank you so much!

The sheer diversity of woodpeckers and their amazing palettes of color...their drumming and woodworking abilities...just fascinating! Definitely got a give a shout out to the acorn woodpeckers...I had a good belly laugh when I saw the amazing honeycomb of acorns in a granary. Oh...and those TONGUES!!!

A couple of  years ago I purchased a copy of "All the Birds of the World" - a rather large,  heavy book.  I was really stunned by the number of birds that looked alike though they were in many different parts of the world.  Most of them were related - in the same genus.  But it didn't really strike me until a birding trip to Belize last month - my first trip south of Florida - and I was the Golden Fronted Woodpecker and the Yucatan Woodpecker.  They both looked strikingly similar to the Red-bellied Woodpeckers in my back yard with the Yucatan being the smaller version of the other two.  In Belize I assumed it was some form of mimicry, like Hairy and Downy, but I looked them up and, unlike Hairy and Downy, all three of these are in the same genus.  They're just look-alike cousins.

The diversity in colors, ranges and sizes.

I think the movement of the wryneck and the fact that it is a woodpecker. Also that those that seem closely related were not. The colors are amazing .

Diversity, and size variation. Also the mimicry between genetically unrelated species was really interesting living in an area where that occurs in Northern California. Also I'm a big fan of acorn woodpeckers so I enjoy the explanatory video.

I was surprised at the social aspect of acorn woodpeckers' lives. We had an acorn woodpecker at a local garden last year, which is unusual in this area. He seemed to be a lone bird, but now I'm wondering if there were other birds working on the same granary.

I found it very interesting that the Piculets are still primary excavators even though they are so small, have small bills, and do not have stiff tails to allow them to brace against the trees. How do they do it!?

I enjoyed learning about the Wrynecks, Flamebacks, and Piculets. I also thought it was neat how the Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers look so much alike yet have different close relatives. I had assumed they were closely related!

The acorn woodpecker appears to be extremely social compared to the species I have seen in the Eastern United States. I have only ever seen the local woodpeckers alone. However, I can identify some calls and can tell when they seem to bee responding to one another. At least that what I think they are doing.

I was surprised that the pileated woodpecker perhaps mimicked the ivory-billed woodpecker, and I'm also hopeful that Cornell is reluctant to say that the ivory-billed woodpecker is extinct. I love seeing the pileated woodpeckers where I live.

I have the same surprise as I did with owls - that they have evolved with obvious “woodpecker” characteristics, yet in so many different sizes and plumages globally.  I am also surprised at the number of woodpeckers worldwide that have black and white backs.

I was surprised that there was a woodpecker who lived on the ground. (The ground woodpecker)

I was suprised and facisnatied about the who concept of mimicry. Where I live there are both Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers, so it makes sense that the downy would mimic the larger bird.

I was surprised that although there are no woodpeckers in Australia or most Pacific islands - there ARE a few on a couple of islands. Why only these islands? When did they arrive there? How? Very interesting. Also, the mimicking is very interesting.

What surprised me was that woodpeckers do not live in Australia and New Zealand and that so many species look alike but are very different and benefit from each other.

I did not realize how many colorful species of woodpeckers there are in Southeast Asia!

I am very impressed how colorful they are. Why do so many woodpecker species display red? I didn't know about the mimics. It will change what I think about when observing downy and hairy woodpeckers.

That have surprised me the most was that the woodpecker species that looked alike are not closely related to each other. What a beautiful birds !

Didn’t realize this variety of color shape and siz    And their world wide range.   I also thought their absent in Australia and other islands was intriguing

The Piculets and Wrynecks that are so different from the woodpeckers in the US.  They all have the long tongue!

I enjoyed the pictures and clarification on the extended tongue. I see a male and female Gila Woodpecker at my hummingbird feeders more often than the hummingbirds. I have been confused how they get any nectar.

What surprised me was their diet. How do Acorn woodpeckers eat the acorn? Swallow it whole?