Woodpecker features an amazing selection of photographs paired with easy to read and extra-informative text, all produced by Paul Bannick. A candid photograph of a Northern Flicker during a visit to its nesting cavity filled with fledglings that are ready to fledge is an example of the variety of photographs that illustrate Woodpecker (photo by Paul Bannick). Woodpeckers native to Mexico and Caribbean Isles are also included in this comprehensive new book (Pale-billed Woodpeckers photographed by Paul Bannick).

A Year in the Life of North American Woodpeckers is described and illustrated in a most impressive fashion in the new book simply named Woodpecker, by Paul Bannick, an award-winning author and photographer. Woodpeckers are one of the most remarkable families of birds in the world, and this new publication underlines that fact in a variety of ways, including the diversity and uniqueness of each species. Woodpeckers have evolved in ways that make them ecologically critical to the health of the forests where they live, serving as keystone species in a variety of wooded habitats across North America. Woodpeckers are, in many ways, the heartbeat of the forest.

Informed by his own experiences in the field as well as extensive research, author and photographer Paul Bannick describes the natural history of woodpeckers that range from the boreal forest of northern Canada to oak woodlands and conifer forests in the United States, and on to the tropical forests of Mexico and the Caribbean Islands in an impressive fashion. But the true highlights of this new book are Bannick’s impressive selection of photographs that range from flight photos, portraits, images at nesting cavities, on the hunt, and feeding nestlings among a variety of others. He captures the woodpeckers’ charismatic behavior as well as their colorful displays and sensitive habitats in his highly acclaimed photographs.

With easy to read, science-based text, Bannick describes courtship displays and the nest site selection process in spring; life in the nesting cavity and territory during summer; fledging and independence during autumn; and the challenges of winter survival. He compares and contrasts typical behavior and anomalies among the 41 woodpecker species in his realm of North America, and shares their conservation outlook for the future. Robust captions, interesting sidebars, and a comprehensive field guide for woodpeckers round out this extraordinary new book. To learn more about Woodpecker, see Woodpecker: A Year in the Life of North American Woodpeckers — Books

A must-have book for any birder and any library, Woodpecker is published by Mountaineers Books. Other remarkable books authored by Paul Bannick and illustrated with his stunning photographs include Snowy Owl, Great Gray Owl, The Owl and the Woodpecker, and Owl.