> The woodpecker’s head strikes with at least 1,000 times the force of gravity (1,000 g), yet the bird suffers no apparent harm. By contrast, any human who experienced a 100 g impact would surely die.<p>Nope, not true. 100 g accelerations of the human head (not just the helmet) happen routinely in football.<p>> VT researchers gather data with the Head Impact Telemetry System, which employs sensors and wireless transmitters in helmets. "We see 100-g impacts all the time," says Stefan Duma, director of the university's Center for Injury Biomechanics, "and several over 150 g's."<p><a href="https://www.popularmechanics.com/adventure/sports/a2954/4212171/" rel="nofollow">https://www.popularmechanics.com/adventure/sports/a2954/4212...</a><p>In generally, using g's (acceleration) to measure impact severity is fraught because the damage is also highly dependent on the during of the impact. Just a few g's is enough to kill if sustained for long enough. Fighter pilots can handle 8-9 gees for a second or two, but will pass out after longer. But a human can handle way more from brief (sub second) impacts.
This explanation is apparently controversial<p><a href="https://www.science.org/content/article/contrary-popular-belief-woodpeckers-don-t-protect-their-brains-when-headbanging-trees" rel="nofollow">https://www.science.org/content/article/contrary-popular-bel...</a>
I'm somewhat convinced woodpeckers are smart, conniving creatures.<p>I always kept suet out, and they love it. All hours of the day, hanging upside down eating at it.<p>But, if I ever forgot to replace it when it ran empty, I'd be awaken at the crack of dawn by a woodpecker hammering the window awning. Only when the suet was empty.<p>Maybe it's coincidence, but I like to believe he was trying to remind me they needed more suet in the most annoying way.
Had a woodpecker in the hood a few years ago that liked to bang on metal lightpoles, to no ill effect. The apparent spouse would usually come shoo them off the pole after awhile, unproductive as such work is. Made quite a noise though.
For all the times that I’ve seen woodpeckers at work. I only see them banging as hard as they could during mating season, as to make as much sound as possible to signal vitality. All other times I’ve seen them at work they’re calmly chipping away at a tree like a woodworker with a chisel, and no way near there max strength. Almost all articles I read only seem to mention that a woodpecker hammers as hard as possible all dag long which just isn’t true.<p>Also for anyone hearing a woodpecker banging metal, it’s the sound signaling during mating season. Dampen the metal and he’ll find another place.