Why don’t woodpeckers get headaches?

A woodpecker strikes a tree up to 20 times per second at speeds that would give a human a concussion. Several adaptations protect its brain. The skull bone is dense yet spongy in places, absorbing shock. The hyoid bone, which supports the tongue, wraps from the beak around the back of the skull, acting like a shock-absorbing seatbelt. The brain fits snugly inside the skull with very little cerebrospinal fluid, reducing movement. The bird also strikes in a perfectly straight line, minimising rotational forces that cause the most brain damage. Recent research, however, suggests their brains may still accumulate some protein markers similar to those seen in concussion.