Acorn Female With Juvenile all photos by Larry Jordan
Acorn Woodpeckers are cooperative breeders and live in family groups of a dozen or more individuals. I have been getting daily visits by a family teaching their juveniles where to go to get the good stuff!
Note this juvenile (in the foreground) has blue irises and a solid red crown. This is the plumage of both male and female juveniles of this species.
The adult female has a wide black band separating the red crown from her white forehead.
Female Acorn Woodpecker
The adult male Acorn Woodpecker has a solid red crown which I was able to capture standing up.
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14 responses so far ↓
1 Wren // Jul 5, 2009 at 8:31 am
Awesome – looks like the female is playing peek-a-boo. These are such great birds and you got great pictures of them.
2 Monika Wieland // Jul 5, 2009 at 10:12 am
Fantastic stuff. I’ve seen this species before, but I’ve never had such close views! It must be pretty special to watch the whole family in action right in your yard. Thanks for describing the subtleties of the different plumages.
Monika Wieland´s last blog ..Happy Fourth! And Explorer Trip Superpod
3 Mick // Jul 5, 2009 at 11:08 am
Very striking colors on those birds. Great photos. I like the close-up look at the juvenile even showing the eye color.
Mick´s last blog ..Noisy Friarbird
4 chris // Jul 5, 2009 at 12:39 pm
Hi Larry,
These woodpeckers are wonderful birds!! They look pretty big too! Fantastic pictures and I’d love to see some like this.
chris´s last blog ..Why I’ve been chased away!
5 Larry // Jul 5, 2009 at 3:07 pm
@Wren these woodpeckers love to play peek-a-boo! They also seem to prefer the shady side of the tree. Sometime I will have to post some peek-a-boo shots
@Monika I do consider myself blessed to be able to see so many species on my own property. It is so much fun to watch the adults and the fledglings this time of year
@Mick they are striking. Sometimes referred to as the “clowns” of the bird world
@Chris they are average size as far as woodpeckers go, about 9″. Nowhere near the size of the Pileated Woodpecker we saw last weekend (that I couldn’t get a shot of). They are huge at about 17″
6 Kelly // Jul 5, 2009 at 9:43 pm
Gosh…these birds are gorgeous and so are your photographs of them. They have sweet faces. I’ve never seen one but would certainly like to some day! Lucky you to have a family visiting your yard!
Kelly´s last blog ..Tricolored Herons and an Anhinga at Pinckney Island NWR, SC
7 Neil // Jul 5, 2009 at 10:26 pm
Great looking Woodpeckers love the bright red.
Neil´s last blog ..Striated Thornbill
8 Arija // Jul 5, 2009 at 11:32 pm
Great shots showing the distinguishing features of the idividual birds.
Arija´s last blog ..BIRD PHOTOGRAPHY WEEKLY ~ 16 White Faced Heron
9 Ladynred // Jul 6, 2009 at 7:14 am
These are beautiful birds. Love the color!
Ladynred´s last blog ..The Hawk
10 jga154 // Jul 6, 2009 at 9:40 am
Great post Larry. I bet they are really awesome characters to watch.
11 bob k // Jul 6, 2009 at 10:26 am
Another great documentary photo series, Larry! The last shot is awesome with the red crown raised.
bob k´s last blog ..Oh, Jay Season
12 wisconsinbirder // Jul 6, 2009 at 6:04 pm
Another-great-west-coast-bird!_Hope-to-see-this-one-someday.
wisconsinbirder´s last blog ..Cedar Waxwings
13 Kyle // Jul 6, 2009 at 7:50 pm
Wonderful captures of the Acorns, Larry! They are so different from the woodpeckers I’m used to down here in Texas. Quite a beautiful bird!
Kyle´s last blog ..Bird Photography Weekly: Birding Colorado
14 MaineBirder // Jul 7, 2009 at 9:54 am
Awesome photos Larry! They look like little stuffed toys. Cuties they are.
MaineBirder´s last blog ..BPW: Fledglings
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