Melanerpes formicivorus ORDER: PICIFORMES FAMILY: PICIDAE
IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern
© Stephen Ramirez
The clown-faced Acorn Woodpecker is a common bird of western oak forests. It lives in extended family groups, and all members of the group spend hours and hours storing thousands of acorns in carefully tended holes in trees and telephone poles.
The Acorn Woodpecker is a favorite among bird watchers. It has a clown like appearance and the unique habit of storing acorns in a favored tree that is often used by generations of birds. Wildlife Photographer Marie Read shares her experience photographing the behaviors of these lively birds.Cornell Lab of Ornithology;
Play Clip
Going Nutty for Acorn Woodpeckers: Story and photographs in Living Bird magazine
Free love and family conflict in cooperative Acorn Woodpeckers: Story in BirdScope.