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Footage captures moment woodpecker tries to ‘ring’ doorbell in Boxley, Maidstone

11:55, 23 July 2024

updated: 13:03, 23 July 2024

Footage has captured the rare moment a woodpecker started to “ring” a doorbell.

Joanne and Paul Jones, who live in Boxley, near Maidstone, were alerted to the bird pecking on their Ring doorbell.

The pair, who run a cleaning company, said: “We’ve seen him around lots of times on our bird feeders.

“They had run out so I think he was asking us to top them up.

“We all thought it was very funny and a bit cheeky.”

With the help of their nine-year-old son Leo, the couple have named the bird Woody after the infamous cartoon character Woody Woodpecker.

They said they typically see rabbits and crows on their doorbell camera but this was the “funniest clip they’ve seen to date”.

Footage has captured the rare moment a young woodpecker “rang” a doorbell in Boxley, Maidstone. Picture: Ring
Footage has captured the rare moment a young woodpecker “rang” a doorbell in Boxley, Maidstone. Picture: Ring

Juvenile great spotted woodpeckers have a red crown which, says The Wildlife Trust, can lead to them being mistaken for their rarer relative, the lesser spotted woodpecker.

In comparison to other types of woodpeckers, the great spotted are said to be the best drummers by a long way, and are able to beat their beaks against hollow branches or tree trunks at 40 hits per second.

It’s not the first time the doorbell video technology has captured more on camera than expected.

Last year, footage captured foxes playing on the roof of a car in Allington.

A postman was also caught on a Ring doorbell after lobbing a parcel 30ft into a garden in Margate.

Have you spotted anything unusual on your doorbell camera? If so, email cphillips@thekmgroup.co.uk.

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