Acorn Woodpecker Similar Species Comparison

Main SpeciesAcorn Woodpecker

Male

Medium-sized woodpecker with a clownish face. Males have a red cap and whitish forehead. In flight, note white rump and wing patches.

Female

Clown-faced woodpecker with a black back. Females have a black cap and the red is restricted to the back of the head unlike males.

Male

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Male

Gathers acorns by the hundreds and wedges them into holes they’ve made in a tree trunk or telephone pole, storing them for later use.

Male (Colombian form)

Males in Colombia have reduced red crowns while females lack red crowns all together. The throat is yellower than individuals farther north in the United States.

Female and juvenile

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Female

Individuals from Costa Rica and Panama have brighter yellow throats. Some individuals also have red feathers on the chest.

Habitat

Found in oak and pine-oak woodlands. Creates granaries in dead trees, storing acorns and other seeds for later use.

Male

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Female

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Similar SpeciesRed-headed Woodpecker

Adult

Red-headed Woodpeckers have an entirely red head unlike Acorn Woodpeckers that have only a red crown. The belly is white and unstreaked unlike Acorn Woodpeckers.

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