Melanerpes formicivorus
Silhouette: Edwin Price · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
The acorn woodpecker (Melanerpes formicivorus) is a medium-sized woodpecker with a length of around 20 cm (8 in), and an average weight of 85 g (3.0 oz). It is found across Central America, as well as North into the western United States and South into parts of Colombia.
The acorn woodpecker was formally described in 1827 by the English naturalist William Swainson under the binomial name Picus formicivorus from a specimen collected in Mexico. The specific epithet combines the Latin formica meaning "ant" with -vorus meaning "eating". The type locality is Temascaltepec in Mexico. The acorn woodpecker is one of 24 species now placed in the genus Melanerpes that was introduced by Swainson in 1832. Within Melanerpes the acorn woodpecker is sister to a clade containing two South American species: the white woodpecker (Melanerpes candidus) and the white-fronted woodpecker (Melanerpes cactorum).
Seven subspecies are recognised: Wikipedia →
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sacramento | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Guatemala City | 🇬🇹 Guatemala | |
| 3 | Los Angeles | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Medellín | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 5 | San Francisco | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Tegucigalpa | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 7 | Mesa | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Phoenix | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Guadalajara | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 10 | San Diego | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lindsay Wildlife Experience | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | California Wildlife Center, Malibu | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report an Acorn Woodpecker sighting in Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca on a given day, based on 30 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 57th most-seen of the 103 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report an Acorn Woodpecker in Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca on a given day, against under 5% in January and February, the lowest months. April and June–September have too few records to rate.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Acorn Woodpecker sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
16th of 26
Of the 26 parks where we can rate Acorn Woodpecker sightings, Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca ranks 16th at about 10%. The best odds are in Irazú Volcano National Park (Costa Rica, about 70%), Los Quetzales National Park (Costa Rica, about 70%) and Celaque National Park (Honduras, about 60%). All parks ranked.
Same family: Picidae
The closest relatives of the Acorn Woodpecker that you can see in Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca (family Picidae, Woodpeckers) are Hairy Woodpecker (about 10%) and Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Acorn Woodpecker is recorded against all the birds logged in Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca (30 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
