Acorn Woodpecker

Description:

Medium-sized, clown-faced woodpecker. The male has a red crown, white forehead and glossy black face and body. The breast is white with black streaking; belly and rump are white. Yellow-tipped throat feathers may be present. Wings are black with white patches. Eyes are white. Female is similar except for a black patch between the white forehead and red crown. The juvenile has a dark eye.

Habitat:

Palm tree near golf course.

Notes:

If you look closely at the palm trunk, you will see acorn stuffed into the holes in the trunk. Acorn Woodpeckers are very unusual woodpeckers that live in large groups, hoard acorns, and breed cooperatively. Group members gather acorns by the hundreds and wedge them into holes they’ve made in a tree trunk or telephone pole. Acorn Woodpeckers also spend considerable time catching insects on the wing