Woodpecker shattering car mirrors in Georgia neighborhood

Oct. 25 (UPI) -- Residents of a Georgia neighborhood said their car mirrors are being targeted by a relentless vandal -- a woodpecker.

Neighbors in the Nob Hill area of Snellville said they initially thought their vehicles were being targeted by kids with BB guns or hammers when their side-view mirrors were found to have been shattered in broad daylight.

The residents said they changed their minds, however, when one resident caught the avian suspect in the act.

Witnesses said a pileated woodpecker about the size of a crow has been assaulting the mirrors after apparently mistaking its reflection for a rival woodpecker.

Residents said they are now using plastic bags to protect their mirrors when the cars are parked.

Officials said residents' options are limited in dealing with the bird because pileated woodpeckers are a protected species.