25 cars in Massachusetts have been ravaged by a single woodpecker
- Residents of Rockport, Massachusetts, had a visit from a vandal
- He was smashing mirrors on cars all over town and then disappearing
- The culprit was a woodpecker taking out his reflected rivals
Published on Apr 28, 2025 at 2:27 PM (UTC+4)
by Keelin McNamara
Last updated on Apr 28, 2025 at 5:50 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Keelin McNamara
Massachusetts is an extremely important state within the wider United States.
For example, the city of Boston is home to absolute sporting royalty.
The state is also renowned for its history and culinary influence, especially Lobster and Chowder.
Unfortunately, though, one seaside town has become famous for a different reason – a vandalizing woodpecker.
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Rockport, Massachusetts: a town by the coast
In case you’re wondering where this is car-based carnage is happening, allow us to explain.
Rockport is a coastal town in Essex County, Massachusetts.
The town finds itself 40 miles northeast of Boston – at the tip of the Cape Ann peninsula.
Rockport borders the city of Gloucester to the west, and is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean everywhere else.
As you can probably imagine, the town is a big fishing area, especially being situated right beside the ocean.
Unfortunately though, the town of Rockport is being targeted by a different type of animal entirely.
Seaside town under attack by…a woodpecker?
Yes, we promise that you have read that heading correctly; a woodpecker is the culprit of this story.
Specifically, this vehicle vandal is a pileated woodpecker – and it’s common to the area.
The bird has been attacking dozens of mirrors on cars throughout Rockport.
Local residents had been completely stumped – until one of them witnessed the feathered culprit.
Speaking to People, local resident Janelle Favaloro explained that she caught the bird in the act.
She humorously described him on Facebook as ’18″-24″ tall, wearing black and white, with a red hat.’
Local neighbours soon joined the hunt, and eventually worked out that the bird claimed the wooded area as his territory.
In case you’re wondering why it has been targeting Massachusetts wing mirrors – well, there’s a good reason.
This time of year is mating season, so most male animals tend to get extremely aggressive.
Zoo Miami Communications Director Ron Magill explained the situation.
“If they’re seeing the reflection of themselves, they don’t understand it’s a reflection; they think it’s a competitor.”
Essentially, the woodpecker is destroying reflective objects because it thinks it is viewing a mating rival.
This means that cars have become inadvertent targets of the woodpecker’s feathered fury.
The mating season lasts until June, so Rockport might have to weather this storm for a while.
Some of the images in this story have been created using AI.
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Keelin McNamara is a content writer at Supercar Blondie from Ireland, covering cars, technology, and lifestyle. Despite being a Law graduate, he discovered his passion for journalism during the COVID-19 pandemic, and has worked in the industry ever since. Outside of work, he is an avid MotoGP fan, and is a self-confessed addict of the sport.
