Places near me Random place
All Canada Ontario Toronto 'Woodpecker Column'
AO Edited

'Woodpecker Column'

The giant birds honor two native North American species.

Toronto, Ontario

Woodpecker Column   Heather Harvey/CC BY-SA 2.0
Pileated Woodpecker   Dennis Jarvis/CC BY-SA 2.0
Woodpeckers is a nearby sculpture that’s 30 meters high.   jbartlett2000 / Atlas Obscura User
They can be seen, even when the CN Tower is shrouded in fog.   jbartlett2000 / Atlas Obscura User
Higher up is a pileated woodpecker.   jbartlett2000 / Atlas Obscura User
The column was raised in 1997.   jbartlett2000 / Atlas Obscura User
The yellow-billed sapsucker is lower down; both are native to Canada.   jbartlett2000 / Atlas Obscura User
  45rpm / Atlas Obscura User
Woodpecker Column   laurenpantos / Atlas Obscura User
Woodpeckers in Canada   Jason Michael Walker / Atlas Obscura User
Walking around downtown Toronto and couldn’t resist a mini quest to find the woodpecker statue.  
  45rpm / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Standing tall in the shadow of the CN Tower, Toronto’s extremely popular tourist attraction, is a rather overlooked piece of art. Take a good look at "Woodpecker Column," and you'll spot two charming birds catching your eye with their bright colors, even when the tower is shrouded in fog.

The 98-foot-tall (30 meters) black steel column was created by Fastwürms, a Canadian artist collective, and installed in 1997. The piece is freckled with round holes so it resembles a tree trunk its two avian residents have routinely hammered.

The birds are over 6.5 feet (two meters) tall. One is a yellow-bellied sapsucker, the other a pileated woodpecker. Both species are native to Canada and the United States.

Related Tags

Columns Birds Art Public Art Animals

Know Before You Go

The column sits to the East of the Aquarium and South of the Convention Center.  As you walk along Lower Simcoe towards the Lake, it can be seen on your left.

Community Contributors

Added By

jbartlett2000

Edited By

andyhop, dnaskuly, laurenpantos, Michelle Cassidy...

Published

December 6, 2019

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos

Nearby Places

Explore the Destination Guide

Related Stories and Lists

Related Places

  • Uppspretta.

    Reykjanesbær, Iceland

    Uppspretta

    This wild explosion of color on a disused water tower tells the whimsical tale of a curious puffin.

  • Inside the mansion/art gallery.

    Ubud, Indonesia

    Blanco Renaissance Museum

    Visitors to this museum will find architectural oddities, an art gallery, and an unlikely bird sanctuary.

  • Love From Afar.

    San Juan Capistrano, California

    Arroyo Bird Park

    This park is home to well over 100 handmade birdhouses.

  • Alec and his friend.

    Belfast, Northern Ireland

    'Alec the Goose'

    The statue honors a beloved bird that once roamed St. George's Market.

  • “Diminish and Ascend.”

    Christchurch, New Zealand

    'Diminish and Ascend'

    This aluminum “stairway to heaven” has impaled at least a couple of birds.

  • Wearing wellies, she’s striding forward with great purpose…

    Brisbane, Australia

    'Emblem'

    A colorful sculpture of an Australian symbol patrols an otherwise ordinary traffic island.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member

Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member