Many woodpeckers have a red cap, which draws my attention visually, or else the sound of their pecking makes me track them by sound. The acorn woodpecker is a medium-sized woodpecker. As their name implies, they depend heavily on acorns for food. They also feed on insects, sap, and fruit. They live in large groups, hoard acorns, and breed cooperatively. Group members gather acorns by the hundreds and wedge them into holes they’ve made in a tree trunk or telephone pole. They work on these ‘granaries’ over the years, and trees may have up to 50,000 holes! The most shocking fact to me is that a female usually destroys any eggs in the nest before she starts to lay. Once all the females have started laying their own eggs, their destructive behavior stops.
許多啄木鳥都有一個紅頂，視覺上會吸引我的注意力，否則便是它們啄木的聲音，會讓我尋音找它們。橡子啄木鳥是一種中型啄木鳥。顧名思義，它們依賴橡子作為食物。它們還以昆蟲，樹液和水果為食。它們成群生活，共同屯積橡子並一起繁殖。一羣橡樹啄木鳥可收集數百個橡子，然後將它們卡入樹或電話桿上的孔中。 經過數年後，可看到樹木多達50,000個孔！這都是它們在製造這些“糧倉”上的成果。對我來說最令我震驚的是，母鳥通常會在開始生蛋前破壞巢穴中所有的蛋。一旦所有母鳥都開始生蛋，它們的破壞性行為就會停止。
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Notes 筆記
- The acorn woodpecker (Melanerpes formicivorus) is a medium-sized woodpecker. The specific epithet combines the Latin formica meaning "ant" with -vorus meaning "eating". The acorn woodpecker is one of 24 species now placed in the genus Melanerpes that was introduced by English naturalist William John Swainson in 1832.
- Acorn woodpeckers, as their name implies, depend heavily on acorns for food. They also feed on insects, sap, and fruit. They can be seen sallying from tree limbs to catch insects, eating fruit and seeds, and drilling holes to drink sap.
- Acorn Woodpeckers are very unusual woodpeckers that live in large groups, hoard acorns, and breed cooperatively. Group may consist of 10+ birds (as many as 16), which defend communal food stores and nesting territory year-round.
- In groups with more than one breeding female, the females put their eggs into a single nest cavity. A female usually destroys any eggs in the nest before she starts to lay. Once all the females have started laying their own eggs, their destructive behavior stops and they remove the debris to a nearby tree. There each egg is gradually eaten by several individuals—often including the female who laid it.
- Group members gather acorns by the hundreds and wedge them into holes they’ve made in a tree trunk or telephone pole. They work on these ‘granaries’ over the years, and trees may have up to 50,000 holes!
- These woodpeckers live in oak and mixed oak-evergreen forests. Seldom away from oaks.
- Acorn Woodpeckers are mostly permanent resident. They generally do not migrate since they have a site-specific food storage system that they enlarge and defend year after year.
- 橡子啄木鳥 (Melanerpes formicivorus) 是一種中型啄木鳥。種小名結合了拉丁語 formica 意思是“螞蟻”和 -vorus 意思是“吃”。 橡子啄木鳥是食果啄木鳥屬的24種物種之一，這種物種是由英國博物學家威廉·約翰·斯溫森 (William John Swainson) 於1832年開始介紹採用。
- 顧名思義，橡樹啄木鳥依賴橡子作為食物。它們還以昆蟲，樹液和水果為食。可以看到它們從樹枝上出來抓昆蟲，吃果子和種子，並鑽洞喝樹液。
- 橡樹啄木鳥是非常不尋常的啄木鳥，它們成群生活，共同屯積橡子並一起繁殖。一羣組可能包括10隻以上的啄木鳥(多達16隻)，它們可以共同保護公有的食物以及全年築巢的地盤。
- 在群組中繁殖的雌鳥不止一隻，雌鳥會將蛋放到單一的巢中。在它們開始下蛋之前它們通常會先破壞巢中所有已存在的蛋。一旦所有雌鳥開始下蛋，它們就停止這種破壞的行為。它們會將破碎的蛋清除到附近的樹上。那些蛋會逐漸的被吃掉 (通常包括下蛋的雌鳥)。
- 一羣橡樹啄木鳥可收集數百個橡子，然後將它們卡入樹或電話桿上的孔中。 經過數年後，可看到樹木多達50,000個孔！這都是它們在製造這些“糧倉”上的成果。
- 這些啄木鳥生活在橡樹和常青混合的橡樹林中。 很少遠離橡樹。
- 橡樹啄木鳥主要是留鳥。它們通常不會遷徙，因為它們有特定地點的食物儲存系統，並且逐年防禦且擴大。
References 參考資料
- Wikipedia: Acorn woodpecker
Birds Posts 鳥的帖子