Jan 7, 2022
Why do woodpeckers peck? For the Acorn Woodpecker (Melanerpes formicivorus), it’s a matter of hoarding. To prepare for a long winter, it collects acorns and pecks holes in trees to store its food. It lives in a colony in which all adults share the responsibility of finding, storing, and protecting the acorns. One bird is usually on watch duty, keeping an eye out for thieving squirrels or predators such as birds of prey. Trees can have as many as 50,000 holes from all the pecking, with all or most of the holes stuffed tightly with acorns. Photo: Mike's Birds, CC BY-SA 2.0, flickr #birds #birding #woodpecker #naturalhistory #amnh #naturefandom https://www.instagram.com/p/CYaixaoNEHL/?utm_medium=tumblr
