Acorn Woodpecker

Description:

This bird was actively collecting seeds. In the attached Wikipedia article, it is interesting to note that these birds participate in cooperative breeding..."Acorn woodpeckers practice cooperative breeding, which is a relatively rare evolutionary trait that is thought to occur in only nine percent of bird species. Cooperative breeding is defined as more than two birds taking care of nestlings in the nest.[5] With the acorn woodpecker, cooperative breeding occurs in two ways: coalitions and family groups. Coalitions of adult acorn woodpeckers nest together, localizing to storage granaries.[6] Additionally, adult offspring often stay in their parents' nest and help raise the next generation of woodpeckers.[7] It is generally believed that limited territories drive cooperative breeding behavior in birds, and in the case of the acorn woodpecker, this limited territory is the acorn storage granary."

Habitat:

This bird was spotted in a woodland area in Madera Canyon. They are limited in the US from parts of California into Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas.