Do Woodpeckers Get a Headache?

                      

Woodpeckers are known for tapping on tree trunks in order to find insects living in crevices in the bark, to excavate nest cavities or to create holes to store their food. 
Some woodpeckers also practice drumming. Drumming is a very fast pecking that attracts mates and defends territory

Woodpeckers are able to bang their head against a tree trunk at speeds reaching 13 to 15 miles per hour in average 12000 times a day. Despite the serious head banging, they suffer no concussions or any kind of head injury.

This is mainly thanks to a special spongy elastic material between their bill and their skull that holds their brain snugly and provides a cushion. The woodpecker’s brain is very tightly enclosed in the skull, with little or no cerebrospinal fluid. This means its brain doesn’t move about very much and collision force is spread out evenly over a larger area.
Strong, dense muscles in the bird's neck and a special construction of their beak are other important factors.

To protect their eyes, they have a special membrane over them. The membrane closes each time their beak strikes the wood. This membrane, along with a portion of their eye lid, which will swell with blood to increase pressure on the eye, helps hold the eye in place and keep it from popping out. Just as practically, the membrane also protects the eye from debris. 

This whole system only works with straight strikes to a tree. It will not be useful if, for example, a woodpecker hits a glass window from a wrong angle. 

Next time you walk in the forest and you hear a woodpecker pecking, remember the marvel behind it. 
Nature is truly amazing!