Hobbies And Interests
Mammals
More than 100 species of animals eat acorns, according to the Florida Cooperative Extension Service. Acorn-loving mammals include squirrels, flying squirrels, mice, voles, rabbits, raccoons, possums and foxes. Acorns are the primary food source in the fall for black bears in national parks in Virginia, North Carolina and Tennessee. In some areas of the country, acorns provide about half the diet of wild deer in the winter.
Birds
Birds, such as chickadees, cardinals, red-headed woodpeckers, quail, jays, crows, grackels and grosbeaks, are known to eat acorns, particularly from the white oak, which generally produces acorns that are less bitter than other oak trees. The birds with larger bills are better equipped to crack open the ripened nuts. Birds that are hunted, such as duck, wild turkey and ruffed grouse, also consume acorns.
Animals Fed by Humans
Game hunters know that wild deer and boar have a taste for acorns and sometimes add acorns to feeders. Cows, sheep and horses also eat acorns and oak leaves, but it makes them sick. Livestock specialists recommend that these animals not be allowed to graze in areas heavily wooded areas with oak trees.
Humans
The tannins in oak trees create a bitterness in acorns that make them taste unpleasant to most people. Acorns can be soaked and boiled to reduce the tannins. That's too much work for some people but others enjoy the challenge. Hank Shaw, author of "Hunt, Gather, Cook: Finding the Forgotten Feast" prefers roasting the acorns to being out the sweetness. He enjoys them shelled, boiled, dried and then baked at 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Baking time is between 30 minutes and an hour, with some varieties roasting fasting than others.