Woodpecker attacks cars in Massachusetts neighborhood. A bird expert explains why.
The woodpecker's mischievous antics quickly turned into a local sensation.
By Logan Hall
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ROCKPORT, Massachusetts (WBZ) — There’s a vandal damaging cars in Rockport, Massachusetts and no one seems too upset about it, because it’s a woodpecker.
Janelle Favaloro was the first to notice the strange damage to her car, with two mirrors destroyed. At first, she suspected her husband, who in turn blamed their son. However, when the same thing happened to her brother-in-law’s car, parked next door, Favaloro began to piece things together.
“He came into the yard and he started hopping around on the vehicles and we weren’t thinking that he was doing anything wrong,” said Favaloro.
“It was the woodpecker” “People from the neighborhood responded and they said, ‘Oh my God, I just lost two mirrors too!’ But they didn’t know that it was the woodpecker. So we started putting it all together and realizing that he was canvassing the neighborhood.”
The woodpecker’s mischievous antics quickly turned into a local sensation.
Donna Cooper, president of the Merrimack Valley Bird Club, explained the woodpecker’s violent and destructive tendencies. She said it’s all about mating season.
Woodpecker attacks “mirror images” “Of course, they’re not interested in the other males being around, so they will attack males and try to scare them away, get them to go away or go somewhere else. And this often or can include attacking mirror images of themselves, including windows and cars,” Cooper said.
Despite the damage, Favaloro and her husband have taken the situation in stride. They said they find the bird quite entertaining and added that his new partner needs to teach him some manners.
“I think she’s following him around, trying to keep him out of trouble and she’s really embarrassed and if she could speak to us, I’m sure she’d say, ‘I’m really sorry, I’m sorry,'” said Favaloro.
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