First post - hope I have the right forum. I'm guessing that this has been studied, but haven't found anything definitive on the Web. So here's a hypothesis; more accurate information welcome.
Assumption: all birds instinctively minimize total energy expenditure as well as time-efficiency in making holes for feeding and/or nesting. They are also limited by size and biomechanics in maximum power output, possibly with an optimal strike force for each bird and growth stage.
For smaller birds that can remove only tiny chips at each peck, the least-energy configuration for a hole would presumably be circular/cylindrical. However, wood is quite anisotropic, with highly oriented cellulose fibers in a uniform matrix of randomly bonded lignins. So a larger woodpecker can more efficiently remove large chips by severing top and bottom ends, then splitting out a long splinter. In this case, energy is minimized by making straighter top and bottom cuts, with up-down splits following. A reasonable analogy might be the way Pacific Northwest natives cut large planks from living cedar trees, slicing top and/or bottom and then splitting out with adzes.
Can anyone here dis/confirm this model, or provide a better? Thanks!
Assumption: all birds instinctively minimize total energy expenditure as well as time-efficiency in making holes for feeding and/or nesting. They are also limited by size and biomechanics in maximum power output, possibly with an optimal strike force for each bird and growth stage.
For smaller birds that can remove only tiny chips at each peck, the least-energy configuration for a hole would presumably be circular/cylindrical. However, wood is quite anisotropic, with highly oriented cellulose fibers in a uniform matrix of randomly bonded lignins. So a larger woodpecker can more efficiently remove large chips by severing top and bottom ends, then splitting out a long splinter. In this case, energy is minimized by making straighter top and bottom cuts, with up-down splits following. A reasonable analogy might be the way Pacific Northwest natives cut large planks from living cedar trees, slicing top and/or bottom and then splitting out with adzes.
Can anyone here dis/confirm this model, or provide a better? Thanks!
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