Feb. 16, 2014 - Acorn Woodpeckers
Read MoreThis dead tree, riddled with holes, looks like it should fall over any minute. But it’s actually very important to Acorn Woodpeckers as a place to store food. We saw several of these trees, known as granary trees, on our trip to Oregon and California. The woodpeckers make the holes and pound acorns into them. A tree like this will be used for many years and new holes will be added as necessary. This photo was taken in Pacific Grove, California.
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Here’s an Acorn Woodpecker seen in Big Sur, California. Birding field guide books almost always use the term “clown face” when describing this species. They do have a unique look and are unlikely to be mistaken for any other type of bird. I think it looks like they are wearing a bright red skull cap. At 9 inches long, they are about the size of a Hairy Woodpecker.
This woodpecker, also seen in Big Sur, is picking an acorn before it’s even ripe. Notice the strip of black feathers on the forehead, separating the red cap from the white feathers above the bill. That indicates it’s a female.
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This woodpecker is looking for just the right hole in the granary tree. The acorn needs to fit snugly into the hole so it won’t fall out. Notice that the acorn is still green; it will ripen while it’s stored in the hole. Sometimes an acorn will shrink as it ripens. If it gets too loose, the woodpecker will move it to a smaller hole.
kate
on February 16, 2014thanks for the pictures and comments! We are visiting a place with fast internet and I was happy to download!