Editor’s Note: This is the final of a three-part series about the woodpeckers of Missouri. The series focuses on the eight different types of woodpecker species found in the state and how to control the nuisances they can create. MIRANDA JAMISON Staff Writer Missouri’s diverse ecology provides a home to a wide variety of bird species, including the aweinspiring woodpeckers. These extraordinary birds, equipped with their powerful chisel-shaped beaks, ingeniously create nests and hunt for insects and sap by drilling holes in decaying trees. Their remarkable adaptations make this task appear effortless. Most woodpeckers have zygodactyl feet, featuring two toes at the front and two at the back, enabling them to climb trees and other surfaces while maintaining a vertical position, with their heads held high and leaning away from the tree. They also rely on stiff tail feathers and supportive back toes to assist them in this u...