The Acorn Woodpecker
by James K. Sayre
The Acorn Woodpecker is a delightful and beautiful bird that lives in Oak tree communities in western United States, the mountains of central Mexico, Central America and into Columbia in northern South America.
When I moved out west in the 1960s to start graduate studies at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California, I was intrigued by groups of Acorn Woodpeckers that lived in the groves of oak trees on the northwestern edge of the campus. They seemed quite jolly and chatty in their everyday activities.
Very recently I discovered a brilliant and comprehensive book entitled, The California Woodpecker and I, by William Emerson Ritter, that was published in 1938 by the University of California Press. It is available in some libraries and used copies may be purchased online from some web sites, such as www.abebooks. com.
The other names and folk names for the Acorn Woodpecker (Melanerpes formicivorus) are: Ant-eating Woodpecker, California Woodpecker, Mearn's Woodpecker, Carpintero, Carpintero Arlequin, Striped-breasted Woodpecker, Narrow-front Woodpecker, and San Pedro Woodpecker. Most of these names are listed in my book, North American Bird Folknames and Names, which is described in this website.
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This web page was recently created by James K. Sayre.
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Copyright 2007 by Bottlebrush Press. All Rights Reserved.
Web page last updated on 14 September 2007.