AN UNUSAL GRANARY
by Jim Sage
Y
Studies in Cali fornia
ears ago, on one of
also show that the granary
my early trips to
is one of the main reasons
Big Bend National
the woodpeckers live in
Park, I was hiking the
large, communal families.
Lost Mine Trail when I
These groups of families
encountered a lovely little
consist of up to 16 indi-
bird with a red crown,
viduals, all of whom
white eyes surrounded by
cooperate in stocking the
black, a bit of yellow on
granary and defending it
the throat and a shiny
against outside marauders.
black and white head. In
When stocking the grana-
appearance, the head was
ry, some birds will drill
quite clown-like. I had no
holes and others will col-
idea what it was, but soon
lect and fill the holes.
discovered that it was an
Only a large group can do
acorn woodpecker.
all this adequately.
Years later, when I had
The mating system of
left the nightmare of
the group is also interest-
Austin traffic and settled
ing. There are usually at
on the South Double
least two egg-laying
Diamond near Alpine, I
females and six or seven
rediscovered the enchant-
males competing for
ment of hiking in Big
them. Both the male and
Bend Park, where I
female work together to
always see or learn some-
drill a nest cavity. The
thing new. On Pine
female then lays her eggs
Canyon Trail – one of
in the same cavity, and
my favorite hikes – there
both the male and female
is a huge old ponderosa
incubate the eggs. Once
pine, which has lost its top
Drawing by Walle Conoly the eggs are hatched, the
and is riddled with thou-
sands of small holes. First Acorn woodpeckers and their curious granary. entire group takes over
feeding the chicks. There
encountering this strange
appears to be only one
tree, one is startled and
flaw in the system. Until an egg-laying sequence
mystified. As it turns out, it is nothing other than
is established, the females will destroy each other’s
an acorn woodpecker’s granary. Some of these
eggs. (I guess it’s just one more dysfunctional fam-
granaries will have 50,000 holes, and it is a gran-
ily – but then, have you ever known a family that
ary because each hole has an acorn stored in it.
wasn’t somewhat dysfunctional?) Of course, if I
Studies in California have determined that
were as smart as an acorn woodpecker, I would
these granaries are essential to the survival of the
probably see a clear and intelligent reason for this
acorn woodpecker. While it eats mostly insects,
behavior.
fruit, seeds and sap throughout the summer,
The acorn woodpecker family is a noisy, gre-
acorns are a must for the bird’s winter survival.
garious bunch and quite at home living around
Summer foraging takes place mostly in the
humans. The birds are found throughout the
canopy of the forest, and the woodpecker usually
Southwest and the western edge of California
comes down to the ground only when it has a bad
and up through western Oregon. If you want to
day, dropping everything it picks up, or when it
entice an acorn woodpecker to your backyard, be
sees a fallen acorn.
sure and put out water. And remember, when you
Showing a near genius for surviving, the acorn
get one, you get the whole damn family – kids,
woodpecker will choose pine-oak woodlands in
cousins and all.
which to nest, and it will choose an area of mixed
oaks, so that if one oak has a poor crop there will
be another oak from which to harvest. The
woodpecker selects an area with pine trees, as
they are softer and easier to drill, and it will
choose an older forest, as the bark is thicker and
more suitable for the granary. The thicker bark
prevents the woodpecker from poking holes into
the tree’s more vital tissues, and that keeps the
tree from dying.
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