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Ecology

Woodpecker population drills

Nature volume 399, pages 528–529 (1999) Cite this article

Acorn woodpeckers are blessed with a number of biological peculiarities. They breed communally in groups of 12-15, yet only two or three pairs, which share mates between them, are involved in the breeding2. The remainder of the group act as helpers igathering food, defending the territory and caring for the young. The young are initially fed on insects, but adults prefer acorns gathered from a range of available oak species. The woodpeckers store their acorns in ‘granaries’ — consisting of an old tree or often a telegraph pole — by drilling holes and then hammering in the acorns.

Acorn woodpeckers are abundant along the coastal fringe of California, although they are not found in the deserts of eastern California. Their range extends north into Oregon, and even to the offshore islands of Santa Cruz and Santa Catalina3. They also live, at lower densities, in wooded regions of Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and south into Mexico. Coastal California is rich in oak trees, including evergreen species (such as Quercus agrifolia and Q. chrysolepis) and deciduous species (including Q. lobata and Q. douglasii). All produce acorns that are enthusiastically gathered by the acorn woodpecker.

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Figure 1: Hammering home the point — the acorn woodpecker (Melanerpes formicivorus).
The alternative text for this image may have been generated using AI.

References

  1. Koenig, W. D. & Haydock, J. J. Biogeogr. 26, 159–165 (1999).

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  3. Small, A. California Birds : Their Status and Distribution (Ibis, Vista, California, 1994).

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  1. Division of Life Sciences, Kings College, Campden Hill Road, W8 7AH, London, UK

    Peter D. Moore

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  1. Peter D. Moore
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Moore, P. Woodpecker population drills. Nature 399, 528–529 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1038/21078

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