Unlimited edition. 18 x 24 inch, museum-quality poster on matte paper.

Acorn woodpeckers are often described as the “classic clown-faced woodpecker” and their waka-waka-waka call is accurately cited as the inspiration for Woody Woodpecker’s (more irritating) trademark laugh. But it’s the acorn woodpecker’s remarkable social structure that gets us bird nerds excited. In 1925, a leading ornithological journal published an article titled “Communism in the California Woodpecker,” and whispers of the woodpecker’s communist bonafides begin to circulate. Why the reputation? Acorn woodpeckers are communal caregivers. In most bird species, parents feed and protect chicks and immature birds; sometimes just one parent, sometimes two. By contrast, acorn woodpeckers take the “village” approach, with as many as 15 adult birds providing care for communal nests. What’s especially interesting is that, in addition to the breeding adults providing care, 1/3 of any given population is composed of “helper” birds that provide care but do not reproduce themselves; that’s exceedingly rare within the animal kingdom.

Note: These archival poster prints feature rich, appealing colors. I encourage customers to take care in handling them until they are framed/protected for display; the darker colors on the matte paper can be scratched. They ship rolled, so customers need to flatten them before framing (or have their framer do so).

Charitable Sales Model: Whenever one of these poster prints is purchased, a charitable contribution equal to 10% of the print’s cost (or $3.60) is made to a nonprofit working to tackle environmental or social challenges. Read more about my charitable sales model here.