But Woodpeckers do not perch in the true sense--they rest either against a tree-trunk or on a limb, and even sleep in these positions.

They almost all have four toes, two in front and two behind, and the strong pair of hind toes prop them up when they climb the trunks of trees, or when they stop to bore for their food.

They also have stiff, pointed tail-feathers that they press against the upright trunks of trees to keep themselves in place, the same as Swifts do inside chimneys, or Brown Creepers scrambling about trees.

So they make brackets of themselves, as Rap says.

Their bills are strong and straight, like chisels, so that they may cut and gouge hard wood without breaking them.