Massachusetts Town Has an Unlikely Culprit Cracking Car Mirrors

It was big news in Rockport, Massachusetts, the Cape Ann town by the sea best known for its rich fishing heritage, Halibut Point State Park, the legendary Paper House and scenic seaside vistas.

Rockport is a generally quiet coastal town of fewer than 7,000 people located 40 miles north of Boston.

The quiet was shattered when residents of one neighborhood began reporting their vehicle side view mirrors were being vandalized.

Who would do such a dastardly deed?

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Turns out the who is a what. The vandal was a woodpecker. Yes, the bird.

Boston.com reported the culprit was fingered as a pileated woodpecker caught "pecking away at the side view mirrors on cars, trucks, and vans."

The site said the black and white, red-headed birds stand 18 to 24 inches high.

Donna Cooper, president of the Merrimack Valley Bird Club told Boston's WBZ Channel 4 the attacks have everything to do with mating season.

"Of course, they're not interested in the other males being around, so they will attack males and try to scare them away, get them to go away or go somewhere else," Cooper said. "And this often or can include attacking mirror images of themselves, including windows and cars."

According to Boston.com, "Pileated woodpeckers often peck more during their mating season, which typically runs from late March to early July." A local expert recommends turning car mirrors downward to avoid attracting the woodpeckers during this time.

Attacks on mirrors seemed to have subsided for now, leading some to think that perhaps the woodpecker found himself a mate.