American Hornbeam, also called musclewood for its sinewy, muscle-like bark, is a small understory tree of moist eastern forests. Its smooth gray bark with a distinctive rippled texture is one of the most recognizable features of any North American tree. The nutlets provide important food for wood ducks, pheasants, and small mammals.
Habitat
Moist forest understory, stream banks, and floodplains in eastern North America
Diet
Nutlets eaten by wood ducks, pheasants, and small rodents
How common
Common
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