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Difference between revisions of "Acorn Woodpecker" - BirdForum Opus

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;Melanerpes formicivorus
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[[Image:Accornwoodpecker MG 0026.jpg|thumb|500px|right|Photo &copy; by {{user|digishooter|digishooter}}<br />Wofford Heights, Kern Co., [[California]], [[USA]], December 2014]]
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[[Image:Acorn_Woodpecker.jpg|thumb|350px|right|Photo by Richard Fray]]
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;[[:Category:Melanerpes|Melanerpes]] formicivorus
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==Description==
 
  
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The  Male is Black with a red crown, bright yellow throat, and white and black spotted chest and belly. The crown and throat feathers stand out and look beautiful in the sunlight.The Female: Lacks the yellow throat and has a smaller red patch on the back of the head. 8-9" in length.
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==Identification==
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23 cm (8-9 in)<br />
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'''Male''' is black with a red crown, bright yellow throat, and white and black spotted chest and belly. The crown and throat feathers stand out and look beautiful in the sunlight.
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'''Female''' lacks the yellow throat and has a smaller red patch on the back of the head.
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==Distribution==
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[[Image:8242605-8067fg Female Acorn Woodpecker.jpg|thumb|350px|right|Female<br />Photo &copy; by {{user|bobsofpa|bobsofpa}}<br />Madera Canyon, [[Arizona]], [[USA]], May 2005]]
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Western [[United States]], [[Mexico]], and northern [[Central America]]. Subspecies ''flavigula'' is a common bird in the Western Andes of [[Colombia]].
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==Taxonomy==
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[[Image:Acorn Woodpecker8.jpg|thumb|350px|right|Subspecies ''angustifrons''<br />Photo &copy; by {{user|Thomas+P+Brown|Thomas P Brown}}<br />Serris De Lagoona, BCS [[Mexico]], March 2016]]
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This is a [[Dictionary_P-S#P|polytypic]] species<sup>[[#References|[1]]]</sup> consisting of 7 subspecies:
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====Subspecies====
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[[File:Acorn_Woodpecker_Flight_STJN.jpg|thumb|350px|right|Flight<br />Photo &copy; by {{user|Stanley+Jones|Stanley Jones}}<br />[[Davis Mountains State Park]], Fort Davis<br />Jeff Davis County, [[Texas]], 14 September 2021]]
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*''M. f. bairdi'':
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:*North-western [[Oregon]] to northern [[Baja California]]
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*''M. f. angustifrons'': dark brown eyes and shorter wings
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:*Cape region of southern [[Baja California]]
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*''M. f. formicivorus'' (aculeatus):
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:*[[Arizona]], [[New Mexico]] and western [[Texas]] to south-eastern [[Mexico]] (west of Chiapas)
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*''M. f. albeolus'':
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:*Southern [[Mexico]] (e Chiapas) to north-eastern [[Guatemala]] and [[Belize]]
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*''M. f. lineatus'':
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:*Southern [[Mexico]] (Chiapas) to [[Guatemala]] and northern [[Nicaragua]]
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*''M. f. striatipectus'':
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:*[[Nicaragua]] to western [[Panama]]
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*''M. f. flavigula'':
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:*Andes of [[Colombia]]
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==Habitat==
  
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==Identification==
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Dry pine and oak woods. The Colombian subspecies lives in the subtropical zone, at 1650 meters above sea level.
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The acorn woodpecker lives in colonies and stores acorns in holes drilled by generations of woodpeckers.The Acorn Woodpeckers have the unique habit of pecking individual holes into both dead and live Pine and Oak trees and then placing acorns within the holes. The acorns, however, are only a reserve food source (i.e. for winter). The birds main diet consists of fruits and insects. Like all Woodpeckers, these birds use their tails to steady themselves when clinging to a tree. These birds are highly social and live in groups of twelve or more. In this group, only a few may mate, but all take responsibility for raising the babies and creating nests. <p><B>NESTS</B>They build their nests within tree holes. They lay 4-5 white eggs with an 11-12 day incubation period. Fledging occurs 30-32 days after hatching. The nests are built and the young are cared for by all members of the colony.
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==Behaviour==
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==Colombian Acorn Woodpecker Subsps. flavigula==
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Like all woodpeckers, these birds use their tails to steady themselves when clinging to a tree.
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This woodpecker is a common bird in Colombia, my observations are in Western Andes, about 3� N , at 1650 meters over sea level, subtropical zone, where they also peck small holes on trees, (living trees, not dead) and put nothing inside, why?. In Colombia winter doesn't exist, food is available all around the year.
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====Diet====
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The bird's main diet consists of acorns, seeds (particularly of pine trees), fruits, catkins, berries, sap, nectar and insects.
  
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''Originally posted by '''peresugranyes'''''
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They live in colonies and store acorns in holes drilled by generations of woodpeckers.  Acorn Woodpeckers have the unique habit of pecking individual holes into both dead and live pine and oak trees and then placing acorns within the holes. The acorns, however, are only a reserve food source (i.e. for winter). (The [[Colombia|Colombian]] subspecies has been observed to peck small holes in living trees and put nothing inside, a puzzling behavior given the year-round availability of food in its range.)
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====Breeding====
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These birds are highly social and live in groups of twelve or more. In this group, only a few may mate, but all take responsibility for raising the babies and creating nests.  The nest is built in a tree cavity. They lay 4-5 white eggs with an 11-12 day incubation period. Fledging occurs 30-32 days after hatching.
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==Gallery==
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Click on photo for larger image
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<gallery>
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Image:Acorn woodpecker storage tree.jpg|Acorn Woodpecker storage tree <br />Photo &copy; by {{user|Stanley+Jones|Stanley Jones}}<br />Santa Catalina Natural Area, Tucson, Pima County, [[Arizona]], [[USA]], July 1981
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Image:DSC 14992.jpg|Photo &copy; by {{user|marcsantacurz|marcsantacurz}}<br />Quail Hollow Ranch County Park, Ben Lomond, California, April 2012
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</gallery>
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==References==
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#{{Ref-Clements6thAug21}}#Koenig, W. D., E. L. Walters, P. B. Stacey, M. T. Stanback, and R. L. Mumme (2020). Acorn Woodpecker (Melanerpes formicivorus), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (P. G. Rodewald and B. K. Keeney, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.acowoo.01
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#bird-friends.com
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#BF Member observations
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{{ref}}
 
==External Links==
 
==External Links==
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{{GSearch|Melanerpes+formicivorus}}  
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{{GSearch|"Melanerpes formicivorus" {{!}} "Acorn Woodpecker"}}
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[[Category:Birds]]
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{{GS-checked}}1
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<br />
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<br />
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[[Category:Birds]] [[Category:Melanerpes]]

Latest revision as of 21:44, 19 August 2023

Photo © by digishooter
Wofford Heights, Kern Co., California, USA, December 2014
Melanerpes formicivorus

Identification

23 cm (8-9 in)
Male is black with a red crown, bright yellow throat, and white and black spotted chest and belly. The crown and throat feathers stand out and look beautiful in the sunlight.

Female lacks the yellow throat and has a smaller red patch on the back of the head.

Distribution

Female
Photo © by bobsofpa
Madera Canyon, Arizona, USA, May 2005

Western United States, Mexico, and northern Central America. Subspecies flavigula is a common bird in the Western Andes of Colombia.

Taxonomy

Subspecies angustifrons
Photo © by Thomas P Brown
Serris De Lagoona, BCS Mexico, March 2016

This is a polytypic species[1] consisting of 7 subspecies:

Subspecies

Flight
Photo © by Stanley Jones
Davis Mountains State Park, Fort Davis
Jeff Davis County, Texas, 14 September 2021
  • M. f. bairdi:
  • M. f. angustifrons: dark brown eyes and shorter wings
  • M. f. formicivorus (aculeatus):
  • M. f. albeolus:
  • M. f. lineatus:
  • M. f. striatipectus:
  • M. f. flavigula:

Habitat

Dry pine and oak woods. The Colombian subspecies lives in the subtropical zone, at 1650 meters above sea level.

Behaviour

Like all woodpeckers, these birds use their tails to steady themselves when clinging to a tree.

Diet

The bird's main diet consists of acorns, seeds (particularly of pine trees), fruits, catkins, berries, sap, nectar and insects.

They live in colonies and store acorns in holes drilled by generations of woodpeckers. Acorn Woodpeckers have the unique habit of pecking individual holes into both dead and live pine and oak trees and then placing acorns within the holes. The acorns, however, are only a reserve food source (i.e. for winter). (The Colombian subspecies has been observed to peck small holes in living trees and put nothing inside, a puzzling behavior given the year-round availability of food in its range.)

Breeding

These birds are highly social and live in groups of twelve or more. In this group, only a few may mate, but all take responsibility for raising the babies and creating nests. The nest is built in a tree cavity. They lay 4-5 white eggs with an 11-12 day incubation period. Fledging occurs 30-32 days after hatching.

Gallery

Click on photo for larger image

  • Acorn Woodpecker storage tree
    Photo © by Stanley Jones
    Santa Catalina Natural Area, Tucson, Pima County, Arizona, USA, July 1981

  • Photo © by marcsantacurz
    Quail Hollow Ranch County Park, Ben Lomond, California, April 2012

References

  1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2021. The eBird/Clements checklist of Birds of the World: v2021. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
  2. Koenig, W. D., E. L. Walters, P. B. Stacey, M. T. Stanback, and R. L. Mumme (2020). Acorn Woodpecker (Melanerpes formicivorus), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (P. G. Rodewald and B. K. Keeney, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.acowoo.01
  3. bird-friends.com
  4. BF Member observations

Recommended Citation

External Links

GSearch checked for 2020 platform.1

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