‘It’s kind of funny’: Woodpecker attacks car mirrors in Massachusetts village

The residents of Rockport, Massachusetts, who during the War of 1812 hurled rocks at British soldiers using their stockings as slings, are slinging rubbish bags and towels over the wing mirrors of their cars to protect them from a destructive woodpecker.

Over the last few weeks, the pileated woodpecker has broken more than two dozen mirrors and at least one vehicle’s side window.

But residents in the tiny fishing village are taking the violence in their stride.

“Everybody’s having a good laugh about it,” said Ben Favaloro.

“Nobody wants harm to the bird. He’s always welcome back.”

Mr Favaloro, who has lived in the neighbourhood for nearly four decades, said he has seen the occasional woodpecker on the side of houses in years past and he removed several trees last summer that were damaged beyond recovery.

But the attacking of glass is a new phenomenon.

“Initially, we just noticed that all the mirrors had been adjusted. It looked like maybe there’s a child in the neighbourhood that was going around pushing the mirrors down,” he said.

But then his sister-in-law spotted the roughly 21in (53cm) tall woodpecker on Mr Favaloro’s truck, pecking at the wing mirror.

Given their enormous size, pileated woodpeckers are plenty strong enough to break mirrors, but such behaviour is “definitely weird”, said Pamela Hunt, senior biologist for avian conservation at the New Hampshire Audubon.

“Lots of birds will be aggressive against reflections in mirrors, but I don’t usually hear about woodpeckers,” she said.

“They don’t usually peck at their opponents, they kind of chase them around.”

Ms Hunt said the woodpecker might be “a little stupid” and is trying to defend its territory and scare away what it sees as competition.

The damage coincides with the mating season for pileated woodpeckers and resident Barbara Smith said she would be fine with “lots of little woodpeckers” around, though she hopes they will not be as destructive.