Bird of the Week 5/4 - 5/8

Before introducing this week’s bird I want to take a second to introduce:

a new iPhone app from the team that brings you Bird of the Week. The app is a retro-style game for logging your real-world bird sightings by “poking” virtual birds. You can even stop an evil developer from destroying a wildlife sanctuary if you poke (see) enough birds. Check it out here!

Now, without further ado…

This week’s bird is the: Acorn Woodpecker

1. This bird is true to its name – acorns make up >50% of its diet! When it is not eating insects, you can find this bird eating fruit and insects.

2. These birds store acorns for cold months in “granary trees.” These trees often contain thousands of individually drilled holes, each of which is filled with a single acorn. These holes are drilled over long periods of time by generations of woodpeckers!

3. These granaries are very valuable, and so they need to be defended! To do this, Acorn Woodpeckers form social groups that work together to defend granaries from other woodpeckers, as well as other acorn-eating animals.

4. For example, these birds will mob poor little ground squirrels that get too close! Don’t even think about stealing those acorns!!

5. You may have seen this bird in the news, when 700 pounds of acorns were found in the wall of a house, stashed there by - you guessed it - Acorn Woodpeckers.

Have a great week!