Meet Quercus the Acorn Woodpecker
Quercus is WildCare's newest nonreleaseable educational Wildlife Ambassador animal.
An Acorn Woodpecker, Quercus was found as a nestling in the Marin County town of San Anselmo. His nest tree had been cut down, sending him and his siblings crashing to the ground. The two siblings didn't survive.
On intake to the Wildlife Hospital, Medical Staff saw that the young bird had significant head trauma and they suspected he may also have had a broken neck. In addition, he was filthy, extremely dehydrated and emaciated. He was barely clinging to life.
For the first several days and weeks, this woodpecker's life hung by a thread. Treatment notes say he was unable to stand, sitting crouched on his hocks and leaning listlessly to the side. Medical Staff wasn't sure the bird could see, because he didn't react to visual stimuli. The team spent weeks tube-feeding, and then hand-feeding him by rubbing crickets or mealworms along his beak.
This photo shows Quercus when he was still identified only as Wildlife Hospital patient #24-1243. He has begun his recovery, but he still looks thin and ill.
Eventually, intensive treatment including frequent rehydration with subcutaneous fluids, medications for inflammation and pain, antibiotics, and a varied diet fed by hand began to make improvements in his condition. The young woodpecker started to perch, weakly, on the side of his basket. Later, he was able to flutter-fly, but only backwards (which was something to see!) He also couldn't land on perches.
It was very obvious that, while the bird's neurological symptoms moderated somewhat as his overall health improved, this woodpecker was not going to have the agility, skills and abilities he would need to survive in the wild. He also demonstrated no fear or wariness around humans, which is necessary for a wild animal's survival.
Our team began working with him to become an educational animal.
Quercus' quirky personality quickly made him a favorite among staff and volunteers at WildCare, so everyone was thrilled when WildCare requested and received the permit to keep him as an educational Wildlife Ambassador.
After a prolonged introduction period, Quercus has settled comfortably into his enclosure in WildCare's Ambassador Zone with our other Wildlife Ambassador Acorn Woodpecker, Cache. He can now fly normally in small spaces and he utilizes perches well but he will never be able to be released.
WildCare's Wildlife Ambassador Program is a wonderful partnership between our nonreleaseable educational animals and their human handlers. Each of the animals that live full time in the Ambassador Zone at WildCare's Transition location off North San Pedro Road in San Rafael has a reason they ended up at a wildlife hospital, and WildCare's Ambassador Zone shares that information to educate visitors about how to prevent harms to wildlife.
Sharing the remarkable facts about our Wildlife Ambassadors also helps people of all ages understand and appreciate these animals in new ways, and builds love for and a desire to protect nature and wildlife.
Scroll down for some fascinating facts about woodpeckers, and please join us for our Ambassador Zone Grand Opening Celebration on Saturday, February 15, 2025 from 10am to 3pm! This fun and family-friendly event is free to the public! Click to learn more and RSVP.
Please note: For the health and safety of our animals and to prevent any risk of disease transmission, NO DOGS (other than service animals) are allowed in WildCare's Ambassador Zone. Thank you for your understanding.
Cool Facts about Acorn Woodpeckers
Acorn Woodpeckers make wonderful Wildlife Ambassadors because it's so rare for the average human to see one up close, let alone observe and interact with one.
In the wild, these gregarious woodpeckers are highly social birds that live in family groups (colonies). The colony works together to collect, store and defend acorns but there are often fights over mating and nesting.
Acorn Woodpeckers pick acorns off trees and store them in a granary tree with holes they have drilled. A colony of Acorn Woodpeckers can have up to 10,000 acorns stored in one granary tree.
Insects are usually caught in the air, though those found while drilling are also eaten.
These woodpeckers rarely go to ground except to occasionally pick up grit.
Acorn Woodpeckers have a very unique tongue (see photo) that attaches to the base of the beak, goes around the skull and then out the mouth.
- The tongue is made of bone, cartilage and muscle.
- It is like a bungee cord with muscles that can shoot it out of the mouth about 1½ inches.
- The end of the tongue is sticky with barbs to grab insects.
Acorn Woodpeckers have zygodactyl feet, meaning that they can switch from three toes facing forward and one back to two forward and two back– this aids in climbing.
They also have very stiff tail feathers to help give support while clinging to the bark of trees
An Acorn Woodpecker's bill can hit a tree with an acceleration force that is 100 times that experienced by astronauts during launch. How do they handle that amount of force? These birds have:
- Very strong neck muscles which don’t allow the head to twist while drilling.
- A thick skull with spongy cartilage at the base of the beak to help absorb the impact.
- A beak designed to distort to absorb the majority of the impact.
- A bony hyoid apparatus of the tongue which acts like a seat belt for the skull and brain, holding them in place.
- A third eyelid to protect the eye from debris and prevent the eyeball from popping out during impact.
Don't forget to RSVP for the Ambassador Zone Grand Opening Celebration on Saturday, February 15, 2025 from 10am to 3pm and meet Quercus, Cache, and all of WildCare's Wildlife Ambassadors!