There are eight species of woodpeckers, family Picidae, in mid-Atlantic and southeastern states.  They range in size from the sparrow-sized Downy  to the Pileated that’s nearly as large as a crow.  Woodpecker beaks are long and sharply pointed with a chisel-shaped tip.  The birds drive their fine-tuned boring tools with powerful neck muscles.  The ‘peckers’ heads are efficient shock absorbers, with thick skulls and carefully packed brains. Their cavities provide nest holes and winter roosts for many other animals. Read more about the woodpeckers adaptations on the Nature Observer’s Journal, Winter Woodpeckers (January 25, 2011).  Enjoy the slideshow.