In Rockport, Massachusetts, a pileated woodpecker has been causing chaos in the Squam Hill neighborhood by smashing car side mirrors and even cracking windshields.
Since March 2025, the bird, described as 18-24 inches tall with a black and white body and a red crest, has damaged around 20 vehicles. Experts from Mass Audubon and the Merrimack Valley Bird Club explain that this behavior is likely due to the woodpecker, probably a male, attacking its reflection in mirrors during mating season, mistaking it for a rival.
The incidents gained attention after a local, Janelle Favaloro, posted about it on Facebook on April 1st. The post was initially thought to be an April Fool’s joke.
Neighbors have resorted to wrapping mirrors in bags or folding them in to deter the bird, which remains active as it’s not yet in nesting mode. The neighborhood, near the bird-friendly Dogtown Commons, is frustrated but intrigued by the woodpecker’s antics with some calling it a local legend.
The Social Pie Network! 