Residents of a Massachusetts town are protecting their cars from the feathered menace’s sharp beak after dozens of cars were targeted by a frisky bird during mating season.
When a local spotted the pileated woodpecker in the act, the annoying two-month mystery surrounding at least 25 damaged and smashed windshields and sideview mirrors in Rockport was finally solved.
“The woodpecker showed up and landed on the windshield wipers of the RV in our yard and was looking at its reflection,” Janelle Favaloro, 59, stated.
“And we were like, ‘You know what, I bet he was the one that damaged the mirrors, as well.”‘
On her local Facebook page, Favaloro, one of the irate bird’s gullible victims, posted the discovery and described the “vandal” as “18 to 24 inches tall, wearing black and white with a red hat.”
A rush of similar damage seen in the woodpecker’s trail was promptly reported by locals. According to Mike Foster, the bird left his Ford F-350 pickup truck with a “nice big crack.”
“When it landed on the window, I thought it was my girlfriend tapping on the window,” he stated.
“I was like, ‘Oh, I’m in trouble.’ It was staring me right in the eyes for a solid 30 seconds. That woodpecker is looking at 30 years to life right now, I think.”
The destructive behavior of the black-and-white woodpecker, according to experts, is caused by the territorial male bird, which is crow-sized, mistaking its reflection in automobile mirrors for a rival as it flutters during mating season.
The woodpecker’s strike is the “biomechanical equivalent of a hammer,” according to one expert who spoke to the site.
“This time of year is mating season, so all birds, not just pileated woodpeckers, but all birds are getting into a very aggressive, territorial courtship display,” according to a spokesperson for Zoo Miami.
“If they’re seeing the reflection of themselves, they don’t understand it’s a reflection; they think it’s a competitor.”
Residents with damaged cars reported that they are paying for their repairs out of pocket, but they did not specify how much the damage cost them, as the gregarious pecker continues to ruffle feathers.
Meanwhile, residents are devising ingenious methods to safeguard their vehicles.
“A lot of people are just pulling their mirrors in, folding them in; several people have put small trash bags on them, like grocery bags,” Favaloro stated.
“My next door neighbor put some scarves on there just to cover the glass. You just do what you gotta do.”
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