How long do acorn woodpeckers live?

Longevity records come from birds that were marked and later found again, usually through bird banding, or from birds kept in zoos. They show what a Acorn Woodpecker can survive to, not what most do.

For small birds, the first year is the hardest. Many eggs and nestlings are lost to predators and weather, and young birds that leave the nest still have to learn to find food and avoid hawks and cats. A bird that survives its first winter has a much better chance of living several more years. That is why average lifespans in the wild are short even when the record is long.

Acorn woodpeckers usually start breeding at about 2 years old. Each season a pair lays 3–7 eggs and raises 1–2 per season, with eggs taking 11–14 days to hatch.

Oldest recorded ages for other woodpeckers on this site.

• Red-bellied Woodpecker20.7 years
• Pileated Woodpecker13 years
• Northern Flicker12.5 years
• Gila Woodpecker11 years
• Red-headed Woodpecker10 years
• Yellow-bellied Sapsucker7.8 years

• Acorn Woodpecker: identification, diet and range
• Baby acorn woodpeckers: eggs, nestlings and fledglings