RED-COCKADED WOODPECKER (RCW)

Picoides borealis

Mary Jo BarbatoSeptember 8, 2010

Where…do the birds live?

This presentation will explore:

Where the birds live,

Why they are endangered, and

What is being done to keep them from extinction.(www.allaboutbirds.org)

Where…do the birds live?

(Jackson, 1994)

This species is one of only a few that is found exclusively in the United States.

Its natural territory is found in the southeast corner of the country where it lives in pine forests.

(Cornell Lab, 2009)

Where…do the birds live?The red-cockaded woodpecker has a very specific set of habitat requirements.

Nests only in live trees – most woodpeckers nest in dead trees

Nests specifically in long leaf pine trees

Prefers pine trees infected with red heart fungus.

This infection helps in 2 ways:

Softens the wood and makes it easier to make a nesting hole

Pitch flows around the hole and keeps predators away

(Cornell Lab, 2009)

Long leaf pine forest. (U.S. Fish and Wildlife, 2002)

Where…do the birds live?

Additional habitat characteristics include:

Old growth trees

Social birds – live in family groups

Doesn’t migrate

(Jackson, 1994) (Texas Parks and Wildlife Dept.)

Young Male and Female RCWs

Where…do the birds live?The RCW lives in the long leaf pine ecosystem. Attributes of this system include:

Fire maintainedDepletes dead treesLong leaf pine is adapted to fire – produces old growth treesMakes for an open forest – many food sources for RCWs grow from fire

maintained habitats, spiders, beetles, etc.

Other species use RCW’s empty cavities for nesting:SnakesSquirrelsLizards and frogsWood ducks

Tree bark covers most of the RCWs food source: Insects – Spiders, beetles and antsFruitSeeds (U.S. Fish and Wildlife, 2002)

Long leaf pine (LLP) ecosystem decline

1700’s brought settlers to the area (U.S. Fish and Wildlife, 2002)

Timber harvesting (U.S. Fish and Wildlife, 2002)

Urbanization (U.S. Fish and Wildlife, 2002)

Agriculture (U.S. Fish and Wildlife, 2002)

Replacement of long leaf with slash pine (Jackson, 1994)

Why…are the birds endangered?

1900s logging of long leaf pine trees(U.S. Fish and Wildlife, 2002)

Today’s forests are different

Only 3% of original species’ habitat remains

Trees are younger (LLP don’t suffer from red heart fungus until 80-120 years (Long Leaf

Alliance, 2002))

Lack of fires has made forests dense and complete with dead trees and hardwoods

Natural mortality

Female nestlings – 68% mortality rate through 6 months

Male nestlings – 57% mortality rate through 6 months

One nesting per year(U.S. Fish and Wildlife, 2002)

Why…are the birds endangered?

RCWs numbers

Since first European settlers, down by 99%

1970 – fewer than 10,000 individual birds

1990s – brought some stabilization to numbers

2002 – 14,000 individual birds

Listed on endangered species list in 1970

(U.S. Fish and Wildlife, 2002)

Why…are the birds endangered?

Endangered status has negative effect:

Land owner’s are concerned with regulations associated with species found on their land

Cut down old growth trees to discourage bird nesting so their land doesn’t become controlled by environmental regulations

Prevention of forest fires to make habitat less preferable and to keep danger from urban areas

Why…are the birds endangered?

(U.S. Fish and Wildlife, 2002)

What…is being done to save them?

7 day old RCW being fitted with a tracking ring (Arkive, 2010)

Regular burning of forest floors

Education

Monetary incentives to landowner’s to help attract birds

Most studied woodpecker

Researchers monitoring young birds

(Arkive, 2010)

Federal and State funded programs:

Mitigation sites for rebound of numbers

Banding of adult and young birds for monitoring

Laws governing land use practices to protect old growth trees

(NCDOT, 2003)

What…is being done to save them?

Placard on tree in North Carolina mitigation site:DO NOT CUT TREES (NCDOT, 2003)

Educational sign on tree:DO NOT DISTURB (Lasley, n.d.)

What…is being done to save them?

Work continues to help stabilize and increase the number of birds by:

Habitat improvement – controlled burning

Artificial nesting boxes

Relocation – young birds are moved to better suited habitats

(Texas Parks and Wildlife Dept.)

Artificial nesting box (Texas Parks and Wildlife Dept.)

The red-cockaded woodpecker remains on the endangered species list but has shown slow signs of stabilization and growth in numbers. Restoration and creation of new habitats, land-use regulations, and public education have proven to be some of the necessary steps in prolonging the viability of this species.

Conclusion

(Lasley, n.d.)

Arkive-Images of Live Earth. 2010. Red-Cockaded Woodpecker. Retrieved on September 5, 2010 from website: http://www. auburn.edu/academic/ forestry_wildlife /longleafalliance /teachers/ teacherkit/ woodpecker.htm

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology. 2009. All About Birds. Retrieved on September 7, 2010 from website: http://www.allabout birds.org/guide/Red- cockaded_Woodpecker/id

Jackson, Jerome A. 1994. Red-cockaded Woodpecker (Picoides borealis), The Birds of North America Online (A. Poole, Ed.). Ithaca: Cornell Lab of Ornithology; Retrieved on September 7, 2010 from the Birds of North America Online website: http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/bna/species/085doi:10.2173/bna.85

Lasley, Greg. Greg Lasley Nature Photography. Retrieved on September 7, 2010 from website: http://www.greglasley.net /redcock.html

The Long Leaf Alliance. 2002. A Family of Red-cockaded Woodpeckers Makes a Home in a Mature Long Leaf Pine Tree. Retrieved on September 6, 2010 from website: http://www.auburn.edu/academic/forestry_wildlife/longleafalliance/teachers/ teacherkit/woodpecker.htm

NCDOT North Carolina Department of Transportation. 2003. Retrieved on September 7, 2010 from website: http://www.nc dot.org/programs/environment/awards/RedCockaded.htm

Red-Cockaded Woodpecker Retrieved on September 6, 2010 from website: http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/publications/ pwdpubs/media/pwd_bk_w7000_0013_red_cockaded_woodpecker.pdf

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 2002. Red-cockaded woodpecker. Retrieved on September 8, 2010 from website: http:// www.fws.gov/rcwrecovery/pdfs/rcw.pdf

Bibliography