Does woodpecker's tongue protect its brain? We drilled into research ^10.6%

Snopes.com - By Laerke Christensen - 6/5/2026, 4:00 AM

Appeal to Authority 42.8% - Confirmation Bias 11.8% - Recency Bias 11.7%

A persistent claim circulated online that woodpeckers avoid concussions from pecking because their long tongues wrap around their skulls, protecting their brains. It's true that some scientists in the past have believed the woodpecker's long tongue provides some sort of inbuilt protection against brain damage due to frequent and... more