![]() Sometimes these woodpeckers choose more unusual storage spots: One Arizona landowner discovered that these industrious birds had stashed 485 pounds of acorns in his wooden water tank! In some parts of its range, the Acorn Woodpecker does not create a "granary tree," but instead stores acorns in natural holes and cracks in bark. ![]() Since the acorns are visible, the Acorn Woodpeckers also must defend their larder against potential cache-robbers such as Steller's Jays, White-breasted Nuthatch es, and Spotted Towhee s. Granary maintenance takes up a significant amount of this woodpecker's time, as acorn stocks need to be constantly turned and moved to different holes as they dry and shrink. A Bushel of BirdsĪ group of Acorn Woodpeckers is known as a "bushel" - a perfect description for this bird's unusual habit of squirreling away large quantities of acorns in granaries or "acorn trees." Some of these granary trees have up to 50,000 holes - drilled, stocked, and maintained by extended Acorn Woodpecker families. It's a medium-sized bird, bigger than a Downy Woodpecker and a bit smaller than its close, but more easterly, relative the Red-headed Woodpecker. Unlike the Acorn Woodpecker, though, it doesn't dig storage holes, only wedging seeds, nuts, and other food items deep within existing crevices where other animals cannot reach.The eye-catching Acorn Woodpecker's head is boldly patterned in black, white, and red, punctuated with wild-looking white eyes that give it a clownish look. Like the Pinyon Jay and the Acorn Woodpecker, the Red-bellied Woodpecker caches extra food for lean times. Researchers have noted that male and female Red-bellied Woodpeckers tend to forage in slightly different micro-habitats, with males working along tree trunks and females mostly on the limbs. Interestingly, the male has a wider tongue tip and longer bill than the female, allowing him to reach deeper. This woodpecker species is especially suited to extracting prey from crevices, thanks to a long, sticky, barbed tongue and a chisel-shaped bill. It will drink sap from Yellow-bellied Sapsucker wells, and it's a common sight at backyard feeders, along with Downy, Hairy, and Pileated Woodpeckers. Like other species in the genus, the Red-bellied Woodpecker is an opportunistic feeder, dining on insects, fruits, seeds, and small vertebrates including lizards, frogs, fish, and bird nestlings. In northern parts of their range, Red-bellied Woodpeckers usually raise a single clutch per season, but in the South, they may raise two or even three clutches per year. Both parents also feed the young once they hatch. The female lays three to eight white eggs in the nest cavity, which both parents incubate in turns, with the female on the day shift and the male taking over at night. If a suitable tree isn't available, the Red-bellied Woodpecker will excavate a nest in a utility pole or fence post, or even re-use a cavity dug by another woodpecker. If she joins him, they engage in a mutual tapping display before settling down to excavate a nest cavity, usually in a dead tree or limb. The male initiates courtship by drumming to attract the female's attention. They are seasonally monogamous, meaning that pairs remain together for one nesting season. Red-bellied Woodpeckers pair off in late winter and early spring.
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