Acorn Woodpecker Photo Gallery
Male
Medium-sized woodpecker with a clownish face. Males have a red cap and whitish forehead. In flight, note white rump and wing patches.
© Brian Sullivan / Macaulay LibraryCalifornia, August 11, 2010Female
Clown-faced woodpecker with a black back. Females have a black cap and the red is restricted to the back of the head unlike males.
© Kyle Blaney / Macaulay LibraryCalifornia, March 03, 2013Male
Gathers acorns by the hundreds and wedges them into holes they’ve made in a tree trunk or telephone pole, storing them for later use.
© Matt Davis / Macaulay LibraryCalifornia, May 28, 2015Male (Colombian form)
Males in Colombia have reduced red crowns while females lack red crowns all together. The throat is yellower than individuals farther north in the United States.
© Kevin Groeneweg / Macaulay LibraryAntioquia, March 03, 2016Female and juvenile
© Brian Sullivan / Macaulay LibraryCalifornia, September 14, 2010Not all videos have soundFemale
Individuals from Costa Rica and Panama have brighter yellow throats. Some individuals also have red feathers on the chest.
© Chuck Heikkinen / Macaulay LibrarySan José, March 12, 2017Habitat
Found in oak and pine-oak woodlands. Creates granaries in dead trees, storing acorns and other seeds for later use.
© Ken Blackford / Macaulay LibraryCalifornia, June 03, 2017Compare with Similar Species
Click on an image to compare
Species in This Family
Woodpeckers(Order: Piciformes, Family: Picidae)
Don't miss a thing! Join our email list
The Cornell Lab will send you updates about birds,
birding, and opportunities to help bird conservation.