
This species chooses the highest elevations possible in their range. They will dwell in both urban and suburban neighborhoods as long as there are plenty of acorn-bearing oak trees available. Unafraid of humans, they have been known to follow picnickers, cleaning up the scraps they’ve left behind. Some groups will migrate in order to take advantage of seasonal increases in insect populations. In habitats with a temperate climate, the birds within the bushel do not typically forage at the same time, but those dwelling in the tropics often forage and travel together. As they stock up for winter, they will fill the tree with a bounty of acorns. The granary is usually a tree, but it can also be a fence, telephone pole, or siding on a building. These trees may be storehouses for a bushel of woodpeckers for many generations. They stash their acorns in what is termed a “granary tree ” these are storage trees into which the woodpeckers pack acorns for future retrieval. Other birds hoard, but none does it on such a grand scale as the Acorn Woodpecker. This mid-sized woodpecker is a permanent resident throughout its range however, they may relocate to another area if acorns are not readily obtainable.
Their unusual, laugh-like call identifies them in the field. These groups are known as “bushels” of woodpeckers and are comprised of siblings, their cousins, and their parents.Īs these birds soar in their undulating flight pattern, the bird-watcher can catch a glimpse of the white circles on their wings.
Calls / Vocalizations – Sound and Video Recordings. Granaries are constructed from both old trees and wooden human-made structures. They also inhabit urban areas and parks across their range where oaks and granaries are available. They live at sea level up to elevations of around 4,000m in the Andes but generally prefer hilly or semi-mountainous terrain to sea-level lowlands.Īcorn woodpeckers construct nests and granaries in a variety of trees, not just oaks. It’s thought that Acorn woodpeckers prefer forests with multiple oak species as this protects them from acorn failure, i.e., if one species fails to produce acorns that season, they still have a number of backups.Īcorn woodpeckers also use Douglas firs, redwoods, and other pines. In the southernmost portion of their range, Acorn woodpeckers are observed to depend on the Colombia oak. In the Pacific Northwest, birds in Washington and Oregon live in forests where there is only the Garry oak. In fact, their distribution range seems to be limited to oak tree forests with multiple species of oaks, and only rarely do they inhabit regions where only one species of oak is present.įor example, Acorn woodpeckers inhabit the Monterey Peninsula of central coastal California, where there’s just one species of oak, the Coast live oak. What is the habitat of an Acorn Woodpecker?Īs the name suggests, Acorn woodpeckers live primarily in oak forests, where they have immediate access to acorns, which are one of their staple foods. Of course, there is much more to learn about this unique bird’s distribution range and habitat - read on to find out! These sociable woodpeckers demonstrate the unique behavior of harvesting acorns and caching them in ‘granaries,’ which they create from old trees. In terms of habitat, Acorn woodpeckers generally live up to their namesake, occupying both oak and pine forests in both lowlands, hilly, and mountainous terrain.
They can be found in a range of habitats, but forests are generally preferred.
Where do Acorn Woodpeckers build granaries?Īcorn woodpeckers ( Melanerpes formicivorus) are attractive, medium-sized woodpeckers who are relatively conspicuous thanks to their bright red hat, black cheeks, and large eyes with a white iris that differs from most other American woodpeckers.Īcorn woodpeckers are native only to the Americas, but where precisely do Acorn woodpeckers live?Īcorn woodpeckers live solely in the Americas, stretching from isolated northern populations in Washington through Oregon, California, and most southwestern states, south to Mexico, most of Central America, Columbia, and Venezuela. Where do Acorn Woodpeckers live in the summer?.
Where do Acorn Woodpeckers live in the winter?.Where do Acorn Woodpeckers live in Canada?.Where do Acorn Woodpeckers live in the US?.
Do Acorn Woodpeckers stay in one place?.What time do Acorn Woodpeckers come out?.Where is the best place to see an Acorn Woodpecker?.How rare is it to see an Acorn Woodpecker?.What is the habitat of an Acorn Woodpecker?.What is the distribution range of the Acorn Woodpecker?.