The Story
This Acorn Woodpecker (Melanerpes formicivorus) perched on a moss- and lichen-covered post near Roncesvalles, a highland municipality in Tolima, Colombia, where the species reaches the southern edge of its range in Colombia. It is a cooperative breeder, and unusually it has both helpers at the nest and groups in which several males and females share breeding. Its nests are dug in dead trees or dead parts of trees. Most of its food comes from tree sap, insects and acorns.
I photographed it with a Canon R5 and the RF 800mm f/11 plus the RF 1.4x extender, at 1/250 sec, f/16, ISO 800. IUCN lists the Acorn Woodpecker as Least Concern, and around Roncesvalles WCS Colombia supports voluntary conservation agreements with landowners who have wax palms and parrots on their land.
©2025 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Acorn Woodpecker (Melanerpes formicivorus) belongs to the family Picidae (Woodpeckers) in the eBird/Clements taxonomy.
Source: eBird.org (opens in a new tab)
Conservation
Least Concern on the IUCN Red List (assessment published 2024), with the population trend listed as increasing. Source: IUCN Red List