Picus

Many species of Picus are listed as threatened or endangered due to:

Legend says that Picus was strikingly handsome and deeply devoted to the hunt. He rode a powerful horse, carried a long spear, and wore a purple robe fastened with a golden brooch. He was every inch the image of a rustic Italic king. Many species of Picus are listed as threatened

The sorceress —the same enchantress who turned Odysseus’s men into pigs—fell madly in love with Picus. She saw him hunting in her woods and was immediately obsessed. But Picus rejected her scornfully. "I belong to Canens alone," he said. "I will never be yours." "I belong to Canens alone," he said

So the next time you hear a woodpecker drumming on a tree, pause for a moment. Don’t just see a bird looking for insects. See a lost king. See a prophet in feathers. See —still tapping out the secrets of the forest, still searching for his lost love, still refusing to bow to Circe’s spell. But in ancient Roman mythology

But in ancient Roman mythology, the woodpecker—known as —was far more than just a bird. He was a god. And his story is one of the strangest and most captivating tales from the classical world.

Have you ever encountered a woodpecker in the wild and felt like it was trying to tell you something? Share your story in the comments below.