Acorn Woodpecker

Overview

The acorn woodpecker (Melanerpes formicivorus) is a medium-sized woodpecker found across Central America, the western United States, and parts of Colombia. It is notable for its cooperative breeding system and the construction of 'granaries' to store acorns.

Identification

• Brownish-black head, back, wings, and tail contrasted with a white forehead, throat, belly, and rump.
• Adult males possess a red cap starting at the forehead, while females have a black area between the forehead and cap.
• Eyes are initially dark in fledglings but turn white within a few months.
• Flight involves a few wing flaps followed by dropping a foot or so, with white circles visible on the wings.
• Call sounds almost like laughing.

Habitat

This species inhabits forested areas with oaks in the coastal regions and foothills of Oregon, California, and the southwestern United States, extending south through Central America to Colombia. It may occur at low elevations in the northern part of its range but rarely below 1,000 m in Central America, breeding up to the timberline.

Diet

Omnivorous, the acorn woodpecker feeds primarily on tree sap, insects, and green or mature acorns, which can comprise over 50% of the diet in California. Many populations store acorns in 'granaries'—large trees or woody structures with hundreds of individually drilled holes—where the acorns are wedged tightly to protect them from other animals.

Did you know?

The call of the cartoon character Woody Woodpecker is believed to have been patterned on that of the acorn woodpecker, although the character's appearance was based on the pileated woodpecker.