Many, especially males, have small patches of red or yellow on their heads. The plumage of most is some combination of black and white, though brown is not uncommon. Most woodpeckers have rounded wings and an undulating flight pattern. A few woodpeckers feed on ants, nuts, or flying insects. The principal food of most woodpeckers is insects, especially the larvae of wood-boring beetles. A special arrangement of bones and elastic tissues allows woodpeckers to extend their long tongues and extract insect prey from the holes they chisel with their strong, sharp beaks. The specially adapted skulls of woodpeckers allow them to pound hard on tree trunks to excavate nesting and roosting cavities, to find food, and to communicate and attract mates.
Most use their strong claws and stiff tail feathers to brace themselves against tree trunks as they climb. Further specialization has produced many aberrant forms with different behavior and feeding habits. Woodpeckers have many adaptations that allow them to perch upright against tree trunks and feed on insects under the bark or within the wood of the tree itself.
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