Acorn woodpecker

Melanerpes formicivorus · The acorn woodpecker is a medium-sized woodpecker found from the western United States through Central America to parts of Colombia.

Acorn woodpecker
Photo: Giles Laurent, CC BY-SA 4.0
Acorn woodpecker
Photo: Charles J. Sharp, CC BY-SA 4.0
Acorn woodpecker
Photo: © Frank Schulenburg, CC BY-SA 4.0

Taxonomy

KingdomAnimalia
PhylumChordata
ClassAves
OrderPiciformes
FamilyPicidae
GenusMelanerpes
SpeciesMelanerpes formicivorus

Where it lives

Oak woodland from Oregon and California through Mexico to Colombia.

Fun facts

  • Acorn woodpeckers store acorns in giant "granaries" with hundreds to thousands of individually drilled holes, even in places like utility poles and fence posts.
  • As stored acorns dry and shrink, the woodpeckers keep checking their stash and move loose acorns into smaller holes.
  • Several females in a group may lay their eggs together in one shared nest cavity.
  • These woodpeckers live in family groups of up to 15 birds, with older offspring staying on as helpers at the nest.

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Facts and taxonomy adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).