The secret lives of Sonoma County’s woodpeckers.

Groups of birds have been tagged with some literary names that are less descriptive than they are a reflection of human perceptions -- for example, a “murder” of crows, a “charm” of hummingbirds, a “parliament” of owls. A group of woodpeckers is called a “descent,” a relatively descriptive moniker referring to their tendency to work for the tops of trees downward.