Spirit Guide of the day is Woodpecker! There may be some hardships to come for you, but do not worry for you will be able to break through into a time of plenty. Take some time to be in Nature, laying on the ground, and feeling the rhythms of the Earth and the similar cycles of rhythm within yourself. Take some time to get into drumming by yourself or with friends. Woodpecker spirit guides are strong influences of drumming and pattern. In European folk tradition, the woodpecker was often considered a weather prophet where its drumming would indicate the changes in weather. In Native American folklore, the woodpecker was seen as the heartbeat of the Earth. The red head markings found on many species of woodpecker are thought to be a reflection of mental activity and chakra centers. At times, the woodpecker is simply a sign meant to show you that something new is coming, a sign to become more physical and change up your routine. People who connect with Woodpecker are very active, hopping to one project to the next without stopping. These individuals can sometimes cling to things and people, being a bit of a nitpicker, and having moods that can change quickly and unexpectedly. However, they are a peppy type of soul who follows their own rhythms.

Woodpecker, Picidae, are small birds known for their unique form of hunting for prey and related to sapsuckers, wrynecks, honeyguides, and toucans. There are about 200 species of woodpecker also many are threatened or endangered. They have strong, pointed beaks perfect for use as a chisel or a crowbar in order to remove the bark from trees to find insects. They also possess long tongue, up to four inches in some species, that has a glue-like substance on the tip to aid with pulling bugs from inside of the trees. Woodpeckers have a unique adaptation to their feet different from the way other birds have three toes pointing forward and the other pointing back. Woodpeckers, instead, have zygodactal feet which would be two sharply clawed toes pointing in front and back which enables them to cling to the sides of trees with great balance while they hammer away at the bark. Many species also have stiff tail feathers that they press against the bark in order to help support their weight as well as bristle-like feathers over their nostrils to help keep wood particles from being inhaled. These birds can be found all over the world except for Australia. They prefer wooded areas and forests where they have plenty of trees to find the insects they prefer to dine on. Although they have also been found to eat acorns, fruits, and nuts on occasion. Some woodpeckers do require specific habitats in order to survive such as the Red-cockaded woodpecker that can only live in the mature pine forests of southeastern United States. Woodpeckers will hunt for insects by tapping along the bark of trees, some species even using this tapping technique to communicate to other woodpeckers or for courtship. Woodpeckers can tap approximately 8,000-12,000 times in one day. Breeding season for woodpeckers depends solely on the species of the bird, although most species only lay around 4 eggs per clutch. When they do breed, both male and female woodpeckers will excavate a cavity in a tree to create a nest. The eggs will incubate for around two weeks before the baby birds are born featherless and blind. The parents will work out a system of one parent staying with the young while the other gathers food for the nest. The hatchlings will stay in the nest until 25-30 days have passed.