Acorn Woodpecker (Melanerpes formicivorus)

OTHER NAMES: N/A
Latin Etymology: Melanerpes ("black creeper") formicivorus ("ant eating")

Adult male Acorn Woodpecker (subspecies M. f. bairdi) at Roy's Redwoods, California - September 2022

Featured Subspecies: Melanerpes formicivorus bairdi
Weight: 65-90g  /  Length: 19-23cm  /  Wingspan: 35-43cm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

A distinctive woodpecker species localised in the US to the South West, the acorn woodpecker is most known for its distinctive feeding strategy of creating "granary trees" essentially excavating small holes in trees or non living wood such as utility poles, and wedging in potentially thousands of acorns in a single granary, which is used from year to year. Perhaps even more perculiarly, acorn woodpeckers actually primarily feed on insects, sap and fruit, with the acorns functioning more as an emergency larder.

Related Species:

Order: Piciformes

Family: Picidae

Genus: Melanerpes

SUBSPECIES: M. f. bairdi, M. f. angustifrons, M. f. formicivorus, M. f. albeolus, M. f. lineatus, M. f. striatipectus, M. f. flavigula

 - Sighting Locations -

UNITED STATES 
Found in the South West of the Lower 48 

- CALIFORNIA 2022 TRIP: Seen at Roy's Redwoods and Berkeley,

 Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto