BREEDING BIRD: ACORN WOODPECKER (Melanerpes formicivorus)

Description: Yellowish throat, black chin, red cap, white cheeks and forehead. White rump and patches of white on outer wings visible in flight. Female has less red on crown than male and a smaller bill. Habitat: Oak and mixed woodlands where oak trees are abundant. Requires acorns and storage trees. Diet: Insects, fruit, sap and corn. Hoards acorns in the fall and winter for additional food supply. Displays: Bowing and wing spreading commonly observed; some aerial displays. Nest: Usually constructed in an oak tree snag, but commonly found in poles. Lined with wood chips. Eggs: White, about one inch long. Call: A raucous ja-cob ja-cob. Breeding bird atlas: To report bird breeding activity in your neighborhood, or to get information on the breeding bird atlas, call Sea and Sage Audubon Society members Sylvia Gallagher, (714) 962-8990, or Nancy Kenyon, (714) 786-3160. Note: Map is divided into 5-kilometer squares so that Audubon Society volunteers can more easily survey areas on a regular basis. Sources: Sea and Sage Audubon Society; “The Birder’s Handbook,” Ehrlich, Dobkin and Wheye, Fireside Books (1988); “Field Guide to the Birds of North America,” National Geographic Society (1987); “Birds of Southern California: Status and Distribution,” Garrett and Dunn, Los Angeles Audubon Society (1981).

Indicates 5-kilometer-square areas where breeding activity has been confirmed.