Woodpeckers are well known for striking tree trunks with remarkable force and precision. These birds deliver thousands of high-speed impacts per day, generating mechanical loads that would destabilize the skulls of most other birds. For decades, this performance has often been attributed primarily to shock absorption mechanisms or unusually resistant skull tissues. A new study led by researchers from the National University of La Plata and Johns Hopkins University suggests that this explanation is more complex than previously thought.