Acorn Woodpecker in December

December is the start of the true winter season. Birds are settled into winter ranges and flocking behavior peaks — mixed flocks move through woods and yards together, and feeding stations become social hubs. Short days mean birds must find most of their food in a few hours of daylight.

For the Acorn Woodpecker specifically, December is a winter month of relative routine, with the species settled into its seasonal pattern across its range. Across the 2 states and provinces where acorn woodpeckers occur, what the bird is doing this month depends heavily on latitude — the details below break it down by band.

Southern states

absent

Mid-latitudes

year-round resident

Northern states & Canada

absent

In December, acorn woodpeckers are absent in the South, year-round resident across the mid-latitudes, and absent in the northern states and Canada. That north–south split is the defining feature of this month: where you live changes which version of this bird you're looking at.

Acorn woodpeckers are not nesting in December. The season runs April–June at mid-latitudes.

Outside the nesting season, acorn woodpeckers put their energy into feeding and flocking rather than territory and young — which is exactly what makes them easier to watch and attract this month.

• Stored acorns

Lives in family groups that drill thousands of holes in one granary tree to store acorns.

Feeders are busiest at dawn and dusk as birds fuel up against long cold nights. Suet and other high-fat foods earn their keep this month.

Full Acorn Woodpecker diet guide → · Best feeder for acorn woodpeckers →

Acorn woodpeckers are settled and predictable in December, which makes this a good month to learn the bird's routine — same feeders, same perches, same times of day.

The state guides below show exactly where in your region acorn woodpeckers are expected this month and which native plants hold them in a yard.

CaliforniaTexas