Baby woodpecker rescued from storm damage in the northern Twin Cities metro

LEXINGTON, Minn. – Severe storms that swept through the city of Lexington this week forced the evacuation of four small residents.

Centennial Lake Police Community Services officers were called to a neighborhood after the storm — not to help the homeowner, but to baby woodpeckers nesting in a fallen tree branch.

The department shared the rescue in a Facebook post Thursday, showing part of the branch with the birds in the back of a police car. Officers took them to the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Roseville for care.

Brittney Yohannes, communications and development director for the animal hospital, said the story is quite common this time of year, when severe storms are more common: Birds fall from trees toppled by high winds. The center cares for approximately 200 woodpeckers annually.

The medical team used a saw to get them out of the branch safely. The birds, which are only a few weeks old, are now nesting in an incubator, monitored by staff and fed every 20 minutes.

“Not everyone thinks about whether there are wild animals in these fallen trees and branches. Fortunately, woodpeckers are quite noisy,” said Yohannes.

The woodpeckers will likely spend the next few weeks – even months – at the center before they gain enough strength to fly and can be released back into the wild.

“The release of these boys is a special moment for all members of our team,” she said.