Acorn Woodpecker
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| Melanerpes formicivorus (Swainson, 1827) |
The Acorn Woodpecker (Melanerpes formicivorus) is a medium-sized woodpecker, 21 cm long with an average weight of 85 g.
The adult has a black head, back, wings and tail, white forehead, throat, belly and rump. The eyes are white. The adult male has a red cap starting at the forehead, whereas females have a black area between the forehead and the cap. The white neck, throat and forehead patches are distinctive identifiers.
[edit] Breeding communities
The breeding habitat is forested areas with oaks in the hills of coastal California and the southwestern United States south to Colombia. This species may occur at low elevations in the north of its range, but rarely below 1000m in Central America, and it breeds up to the timberline. The breeding pair excavate a nest in a large cavity in a dead tree or a dead part of a tree. A group of adults may participate in nesting activities: Field studies have shown that breeding groups range from monogamous pairs to breeding collectives of seven males and three females, plus up to 10 nonbreeding helpers. Young have been found with multiple paternity.[1]
Acorn Woodpeckers are larder hoarders. Breeding groups gather acorns and create a granary by drilling holes in a dead tree, or a dead branch on a live tree, and stuffing acorns into them. The acorns are visible, and the group defends the tree against potential cache robbers. The acorns represent a significant part of their diet; they also eat insects, picking them off tree bark or catching them in flight, and in addition fruit, seeds and sometimes tree sap.
This bird is a permanent resident throughout its range. They may relocate to another area if acorns are not readily available. It is sedentary and very sociable.
[edit] References
- ^ Joste, N., Ligon, D., and Stacey, P. (1985) Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology; Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 17(1):39-41
- BirdLife International (2004). Melanerpes formicivorus. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 10 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
- Haydock J., Koenig W. D., & Stanback, M. T. (2001). Shared parentage and incest avoidance in the cooperatively breeding acorn woodpecker. Molecular Ecology, 10, 1515-1525.
- Stiles, F Gary & Alexander Frank Skutch (1989), written at Ithaca, New York, A guide to the birds of Costa Rica, Comstock, ISBN 0-8014-2287-6
[edit] External links
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology species account
- Acorn Woodpecker, a bibliographic resource
- USGS
- Acorn Woodpecker videos on the Internet Bird Collection
- Stamps (for El Salvador, Mexico) with RangeMap
- Acorn Woodpecker photo gallery VIREO-(distinctive white face-throat patches)
- Photo-High Res FWS-Fish & Wildlife Service: Digital Repository
