Skip to main content Skip to navigation
Home
Today's Show: Bird Sound Types and Qualities Part III
Swainson's Thrush
Listen In
  • Today's Show
  • Listen
    • BirdNote Daily
    • Bring Birds Back
    • Threatened
    • BirdNote Presents
    • Sound Escapes
    • How to Listen
  • Explore
    • Field Notes
    • Sights & Sounds
    • Birdwatching
    • Resources for Educators
  • How to Help Birds
    • At Home
    • In Your Community
  • About
    • Who We Are
    • The Team
    • Board Members
    • DEI/IDEA Commitment
    • Partners
    • For Radio Stations
    • Funding
    • FAQs
    • Support BirdNote
  • Donate

Acorn Woodpecker

October 14, 2020
The True Inspiration for Woody!
Listen Now
Subscribe
  • Share This:
  • Share to Facebook
  • Share to Twitter
  • Share to Email
Woody Woodpecker and an Acorn Woodpecker Expand Image
© Garrett Lau

He doesn't sound exactly like Woody Woodpecker, but the Acorn Woodpecker was probably the model for the cartoon character. The story goes that Walter Lantz and his new bride, Grace, were on their honeymoon in a cabin in California. A racket on their roof drew them outside, where they spotted an Acorn Woodpecker, pounding away at the shingles. Now, Lantz was ready to shoot the pesky critter, but his wife suggested that, instead, he vent his frustration in a creative fashion. And in this way, supposedly, Woody was born.

  • Full Transcript
  • Credits

BirdNote®

Acorn Woodpecker – Inspiration for Woody Woodpecker

Written by Ellen Blackstone

This is BirdNote!
[Acorn Woodpecker calls and tapping]
He doesn’t sound exactly like Woody Woodpecker, but this Acorn Woodpecker was probably the model for the cartoon character. [Sound of Woody Woodpecker]
Listen to Woody’s muse, calling from a dead oak tree. [Acorn Woodpecker calls]
The story goes that Walter Lantz and his new bride, Grace, were on their honeymoon in a cabin in California. A racket on their roof drew them outside, where they spotted a woodpecker, pounding away at the shingles. And worse, the bird actually bored a hole in the roof, letting in the rain. Now, Lantz was ready to shoot the pesky critter, but his wife suggested that, instead, he vent his frustration in a creative fashion. And in this way, supposedly, Woody Woodpecker was born. [Sound of Woody Woodpecker]
An Acorn Woodpecker might use an old roof in a pinch, but it’s much more likely to excavate holes in oak trees, stuffing the holes with acorns. [Acorn Woodpecker calls] Dozens of acorns. Hundreds of acorns. The cartoon Woody was an imp, but the Acorn Woodpecker is an industrious bird. [Many Acorn Woodpecker callings] A family group will store thousands of acorns over the course of a year. [Acorn Woodpecker calls]
 You can see a photo of an Acorn Woodpecker – and compare him to Woody – on our website, birdnote.org. [Woody Woodpecker theme music, Walter Lantz, Universal Pictures]
###
Call & tapping of Acorn Woodpecker provided by The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. Sound recordist David L. Ross, Jr.
Woody Woodpecker theme music, Walter Lantz, Universal Pictures
Woodland ambient recorded by C Peterson.
Producer: John Kessler
Executive Producer: Chris Peterson
© 2013 Tune In to Nature.org  October 2016/2020  Narrator: Michael Stein

 ID # ACWO-01-2011-10-05   (some sounds from 033105PIWOKPLU)         

Ellen Blackstone
Writer
Michael Stein
Narrator
Garrett Lau
Photographer
Tags: Hollywood, humor, vocalization, woodpecker

Related Resources

Acorn Woodpecker - More at All About Birds

More About These Birds

Acorn Woodpecker (Melanerpes formicivorus)

Melanerpes formicivorus

Sights & Sounds

Birds connect us with the joy and wonder of nature. By telling vivid, sound-rich stories about birds and the challenges they face, BirdNote inspires listeners to care about the natural world – and take steps to protect it.

Support BirdNote

  • About
  • Annual Report
  • Contact
  • Science Advisory Council
  • Pitch Page
  • Sights & Sounds
Sign up for our newsletter!
  • BirdNote on Facebook
  • BirdNote on Twitter
  • BirdNote on Instagram

Copyright 2022. All rights reserved.

  • Privacy Policy