Just watching mom and dad spotted woodpecker make sure the kids have enough to eat makes me a little tired. This is exactly why people have maternity leave, it is a full-time job! Even though the young birds are old enough to fly they follow mom and dad around for food: feed me! Feed me! Feed me more! The parents are frantically looking for morsels to eat: tree trunks, cracks in the bark, every inch of the tree is carefully inspected for insects, worms or anything else they will eat. You can recognize the young birds by the red cap.