Bird guide · Melanerpes formicivorus
Acorn Woodpecker
What the acorn woodpecker eats, where it lives, when it comes to feeders and how to recognise it – with sightings from every US state.
- Season
- Year-round resident
- Size
- 8.7 in (22 cm)
- Most common
- California, Arizona, Oregon
Food
What do acorn woodpeckers eat?
Lives in family groups that defend communal food stores year-round.
Feeder that suits it
A tube or hopper feeder with sunflower seed or sunflower hearts.
Range
Where do acorn woodpeckers live?
Oak woodland of the West, south to Colombia. By share of all bird sightings, acorn woodpeckers are most common in California (1.0%).
States where acorn woodpeckers are most common
- California1.0%
- Arizona0.9%
- Oregon0.4%
- New Mexico0.3%
- Texas0.05%
- Washington0.01%
- Nevada0.01%
- Utah0.01%
- Colorado0.00%
- Minnesota0.00%
Share of all bird sightings in each state that are acorn woodpeckers, 2019–2024.
Season
Does the acorn woodpecker migrate?
Year-round resident. Across the US it is reported in every month; its share of bird sightings is highest in August.
Share of all bird sightings in the US that are acorn woodpeckers, by month.
Identification
How to identify the acorn woodpecker
Male: Clown-faced: black above and on the chest, red cap, strong face pattern and white eyes.
Female: Black bar separates the red cap from the white forehead.
Size: 8.7 in (22 cm)
On camera
Getting the acorn woodpecker on a feeder camera
Any seed camera feeder works. Hang it near shrubs for cover, about five feet off the ground, with the lens facing away from direct sun.
Questions
Acorn Woodpecker: questions
Do acorn woodpeckers migrate?
Year-round resident. Across the US it is reported in every month; its share of bird sightings is highest in August.
Where do acorn woodpeckers live?
By share of all bird sightings, they are most common in California, Arizona, Oregon, New Mexico, Texas. They are rare or absent in Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware.
What does a female acorn woodpecker look like?
Black bar separates the red cap from the white forehead.