The Acorn Woodpecker – Bring In The Clowns

Bring In The Clowns photo by Mark Schmitt

The Acorn Woodpecker is easily identifiable by their clown-like faces.  They also show a conspicuous white rump and white wing patches when they are in flight.

Just Hanging Around photo by Mark Schmitt

Woodpeckers, like parrots, have two toes pointing forward and two hind toes giving them a very strong and stable grip to climb bark and hang from suet feeders! 

Climbing Acorn Woodpecker photo by Mark Schmitt

We are fortunate to live in an area in northern California with plenty of oak trees where the acorn woodpecker is a common site.  Acorns are this woodpecker’s staple food, although they eat other nuts as well in the winter.  They also eat plenty of insects in the summer.

In the fall, when the acorns mature, acorn woodpeckers can be seen pounding holes in tree trunks and placing acorns into the holes for storing their winter meals.  Many pine trees in our neck of the woods are riddled with these little holes that the woodpeckers use year after year causing no harm to the trees.

Thanks to Mark Schmitt for these excellent photos

Other woodpeckers seen here in California are (of course) the Northern Flicker, the White-headed Woodpecker, Lewis’ Woodpecker, the Downy Woodpecker, the Hairy Woodpecker, the Ladder-backed Woodpecker and Nuttall’s Woodpecker.

I hope you appreciate the great Acorn Woodpecker photos from Mark Schmitt.  They are enjoyable birds to watch!

 Happy Birding!