Acorn Woodpeckers: Cooperation, Conflict, and Family Drama

Acorn Woodpeckers: Cooperation, Conflict, and Family Drama Thursday, November 12, 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM Speaker: Walt Koenig, Research Zoologist Emeritus, UC Berkeley, and Graduate School Professor, Cornell Lab of Ornithology Event is free. Register HERE for this speaker series. Topic: Acorn Woodpeckers, best known for their unique habit of storing acorns by the thousands in special structures known as “granaries”, are cooperative breeders that exhibit one of the most complex social systems of any bird. Based on a long-term study of this species at Hastings Natural History Reservation in Monterey County, Walt will explain some of the strikingly cooperative and diabolically competitive behaviors of this species that he and his colleagues have discovered during their 50+ year field study. Speaker Bio: Walt studied Acorn Woodpeckers as a Ph.D. student and Research Zoologist at UC Berkeley from 1974 to 2008. He was subsequently a Senior Scientist at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology in Ithaca, New York, from 2008 to 2016. He retired in 2016 and returned to upper Carmel Valley, where he studies acorn production by California oaks, continues to try and figure out Acorn Woodpecker behavior, and perfects his sparkling wine palate. Photo Credit: Acorn Woodpecker on Granary Tree, by Becky Matsumara