Blood, death, and eye gouging: Welcome to the world of Acorn woodpeckers
Acorn woodpeckers are willing to invest an impressive amount of time and energy in these power struggles, whether they are warriors or spectators. (Sahas Barve/)For the acorn woodpecker, turf wars aren’t just violent and potentially fatal—they’re a spectator sport. When a vacancy in a promising territory opens up, usually after a bird’s death, a fierce battle begins between rival bands of brothers or sisters. These brawls involve 40 or more birds, can last for days before a single coalition wins, and attract a crowd of other woodpeckers who leave their own territories unattended to watch the spectacle, scientists reported September 7 in the journal Current Biology. The findings indicate that acorn woodpeckers are willing to invest an impressive amount of time and energy in these power struggles, whether they are warriors or spectators.“It seems like these power struggles are really important sources of social information,” says Sahas Barve, an avian...