The Future of the Redheaded Woodpecker

It is important that the habitats of the Red headed Woodpecker be preserved. The more damage is done to their homes, the less places they have to live, and will eventually die off completely. Some of the reasons for the losses of habitat include: loss of nesting habitat due to reduction in the number of dead trees and snags, competition with European Starlings for nest cavities, habitat loss due to suburban development, loss of habitat due to changing agricultural practices that result in the loss of small orchards, larger monoculture fields, and removal of hedgerows. Some things that can be done are: maintain open areas with little understory, provide small and large snags and dead limbs on large living trees to provide nesting, roosting, and foraging opportunities, use prescribed burning to maintain a savannah-like condition with good aerial and ground foraging opportunities, and manage habitat so as to provide forest fragments greater than 5 acres with large snags for nesting and open areas for catching flying insects.


Also, educating one self about what they can do to help the environment is another important strategy. Donations to various wildlife organizations are helpful as  well. These various organizations help contribute to preserving the trees and habitats of the Woodpecker. Donations go towards: Research on nesting and breeding behavior of red-heads, Research on successful red-head management practices, Educational materials and mailings, Distribution of published materials, Training sessions for land managers, and Training for outreach members (training the trainers). As long as there are advocates out there helping out this bird, it has a chance of survival, but that is exactly what it needs to make sure the there actually is a future: volunteers. If we overlook how we are causing damage to living things around us, then this bird does not have a chance, and will eventually die off forever. 

Granted, this bird may seem like a pain because of the damage it causes to homes a buildings, but that is because it may have no where else to live. Their environment is being destroyed every single  day...by us! What are we going to do to help save it? Go out and find out what you can do to help save this bird.

http://www.redheadrecovery.org/

How to help the Redheaded Woodpecker

There are many ways public and private landowners can contribute to the preservation of the Red-headed Woodpecker. From a bird’s-eye view, golf courses, cemeteries, park lands and even suburban landscapes can replicate the Red-Head’s requirement for savannah. Small farmsteads and open rural land can provide good Red Headed Woodpecker habitat. Once again, the key is the presence of snags, or what naturalists call "wildlife trees."

Private landowners can make a big difference as well. Oak savannah is one of the most critically imperiled upland habitat types in the world. If you have oak savannah on your land, consider managing it with brush cutting or controlled fire to improve habitat not only for red-headed woodpeckers, but the many additional rare and endangered plants and animals that depend on this dwindling habitat.

Another key part of Red Headed Woodpecker recovery involves public education by simply encouraging the preservation of dead snags. Generally, our culture equates dead trees with worthless, or dangerous, trees. However, dead snags, or wildlife trees, provide nesting and feeding opportunities for many birds and small mammals. Woodpeckers may excavate the original cavities, but when they abandon them, squirrels, mice, screech owls and other birds who are incapable of digging their own holes quickly move in.

Whenever possible landowners should retain a few dead trees as nesting areas for woodpeckers. To relieve the problem of dead snags blowing over and becoming a hazard, the majority of the small limbs at the top of the tree can be lopped off, leaving the main trunk and some of the larger limbs. Red Headed Woodpeckers actually seem to prefer nesting in limbs rather than the main trunk, so be sure to leave some major limb segments.

It is important that the general public have the proper education in order to preserve the wildlife and their habitats. The various states in the South have conservation education programs to start with. It may seem pointless but it is really important that the general public be aware as to  the kind of damage they are causing to, not only the Red Headed Woodpecker, but also the other wildlife. With the proper education, it is possible for people to preserve the habitats of the Woodpecker. If their habitat is preserved, there could be an increase in the Woodpecker population.

What the Redheaded Woodpecker Needs

Woodpeckers help control insect populations and create nest cavities that are used by other birds and mammals who cannot excavate the cavities themselves. Nuthatches, screech owls, kestrels, starlings, squirrels, flying squirrels, deer mice, and raccoons all use woodpecker tree cavities.

Woodpeckers are well adapted to maneuvering around tree trunks searching for insects and spiders. Their toes—two facing forward, two facing backward—enable woodpeckers to grasp vertical tree trunks and their stiff tail feathers provide an extra measure of support. With their sturdy beaks, woodpeckers can bore holes into trees for feeding and chisel out cavities for nesting. Strong muscles at the base of the beak act as shock absorbers to absorb the pressure from the force of impact. Bristles lining their nostrils filter out dust and tiny wood chips. To extract insects from crevices and holes in trees, woodpeckers have a long, sticky tongue with a barbed end with which they can snag insects. Some woodpeckers prefer dead trees in which to excavate a nest while others choose live trees. Some species will re-use a nest cavity from year to year while others prefer to create a new one. Red-headed woodpeckers will use an existing cavity, not necessarily of their own making.

Habitat loss poses the greatest threat to woodpeckers. Developers often cull dead trees from wood lots leaving the red-headed woodpecker without the dead and decaying trees they need to nest and raise their young. In addition, developed areas often encourage the presence of starlings, non-native birds that invariably out-compete and displace woodpeckers for nesting sites.

Red-headed Woodpecker has some predators, such as raptors (hawks, falcons, owls), and red-foxes. Eggs and chicks are taken by snakes, raccoons and flying squirrels.     

Red-headed Woodpecker feeds in open areas. It needs snags for nesting, roosting and foraging. It can be found in open deciduous woodlands, orchards, parks, agricultural areas, grasslands, forest edges, burned forests.

In order for the Redheaded Woodpecker to thrive, they need to have these dead trees and various forests and agricultural areas around. If they are not around, the bird cannot nest and feed, which will cause them to die out. Predators are also a threat, but not as much as humans are since we are in control of their habitat. Considering over the last few decades where building has increased dramatically, we have caused their habitat to be destroyed. Could imagine if that were us, and we had no where to go and nothing to eat?

 

The Redheaded Woodpecker and The Economy

Farming continues in the South today, although not to the extent that it was practiced during Reconstruction, and the crops are different.  Today instead of cotton and tobacco, Southern farms grow crops like soybeans and corn.  Also common are family-owned chicken farms or egg farms, that also focus on a single product.  Sharecropping and tenant farming are no longer common methods of agriculture. Red headed Woodpeckers like to feed on these various things, but not as much as nuts, berries, and insects. Agriculture in the Southern United States has not affected the way the Woodpecker feeds.

 Today, much of the agriculture in the South has been replaced by other types of jobs, including manufacturing and service jobs.  Examples of this type of industry include, car manufacturing, telecommunications, textile manufacturing, technology, banking, and aviation.  Bank of America has their banking headquarters in North Carolina.  Nissan, Volkswagen, and BMW all have major manufacturing plants in states like Alabama.

 Agricultural changes even include building in rural and urban areas. This causes the destruction of homes for the Woodpecker.  They often live in trees and telephone poles. While theses trees are being destroyed and being replaced by buildings, the Woodpecker has to find someplace else to go. Woodpeckers cause property damage by drilling holes in wood and synthetic stucco siding and eaves, and are an annoyance when hammering or "drumming" on houses. Woodpeckers hammer to attract mates, to establish and/or defend a territory, to excavate nesting or roosting sites, and to search for insects. Wooden shingles, cedar or redwood siding, metal or plastic gutters, television antennas, chimney caps, and light posts are selected as drumming sites because these materials produce loud sounds.

Redheaded Woodpecker in the Cultural Landscape

Approximately one-third of U.S. lands are covered by forests, which makes forest ecosystems prominent natural resources that contribute to biodiversity, water quality, carbon storage, and recreation. Forests also play a significant role in the U.S. economy, and forestry or forestry-related enterprises are the dominant industries in many U.S. communities. Human-induced climate change over the next century is projected to change temperature and precipitation, factors that are critical to the distribution and abundance of tree species. A previous report in this series addressed the risks to terrestrial ecosystems posed by climate change.

 Key findings include:
Forest location, composition, and productivity will be altered by changes in temperature and precipitation. Climate change is virtually certain to drive the migration of tree species, resulting in changes in the geographic distribution of forest types and new combinations of species within forests. Generally, tree species are expected to shift northward or to higher altitudes. In addition, climate change is likely to alter forest productivity depending upon location, tree species, water availability, and the effects of carbon dioxide (CO2) fertilization.
• Changes in forest disturbance regimes, such as fire or disease, could further affect the future of U.S.
forests and the market for forest products. Increased temperatures could increase fire risk in areas that experience increased aridity, and climate change could promote the proliferation of diseases and pests that attack tree species. Such disturbances may be detrimental to forests themselves, but may have a lesser impact at the market level due to salvage operations that harvest timber from dying forests.
• U.S. economic impacts will vary regionally. Overall, economic studies indicate that the net impacts of climate change on the forestry sector will be small, ranging from slightly negative to positive impacts; however, gains and losses will not be distributed evenly throughout the United States. The Southeast, which is currently a dominant region for forestry, is likely to experience net losses, as tree species migrate northward and tree productivity declines. Meanwhile, the North is likely to benefit from tree migration and longer growing seasons.
• As a managed resource, the implications of climate change for the forestry sector are largely dependent upon the actions taken to adapt to climate change. The United States has vast forest resources and currently consumes less timber than grows within the country each year. If professional foresters take proactive measures to substitute thriving tree species for failing species, to relocate forestry industry to productive regions, and to salvage trees during dieback, the sector may minimize the negative economic consequences of climate change.
• A number of challenges currently limit our understanding of the effects of climate change on forestry. Existing projections for future changes in temperature and precipitation span a broad range, making it difficult to predict the future climate that forests will experience, particularly at the regional level. The ecological models used to relate forest distribution and productivity to changes in climate introduce additional uncertainty. Thus, current projections could fail to accurately predict the actual long-term impacts of climate change on the forestry sector.

**All of these various changes can cause a dramatic shock to the redheaded woodpecker because if the climate decides to change, then this causes the precipitation levels to change, which causes nutrients to decrease. All this is is one domino chain. If the ecosystem does not get the nutrients that it needs, then the bird does not get the nutrients that it needs and it causes it to starve, or not have any where for it to live because the trees die. If this landscape changes in the Inland South region of the United States then this bird could be in serious trouble. If there are no trees, then it is difficult for the bird to drum, difficult for it to nest, and also to feed. It is important to become aware of what is happening because the reason for these various changes are because of our species. Our species could be the cause of the death of another species...think about it.

The Redheaded Woodpecker and its 21st Century Neighbors

During the late 1700s and 1800s, the red-headed woodpecker was a common and widespread species in the Northeast. In the late1800s, large concentrations of these birds were observed during fall migration in New York and Long Island. Now they are considered to be an uncommon migrant there. Today, only a handful of migrants are observed during migration in Cape May.
By the turn of the 20th century, red-headed woodpeckers had suffered population declines due to several different factors. Road mortality, competition with European starlings for nesting cavities, and harvesting for their feathers all contributed to their decline. Many populations of avian species were greatly reduced to provide feathers for women’s hats. Farmers also killed red-headed woodpeckers because they damaged fruit and berry crops. Further population declines were observed from the 1930s to the 1970s. Habitat loss, the limited availability of nesting sites, and road mortality exacerbated their decline.

Red-headed Woodpeckers have declined since the 1900s as their preferred savanna-type nesting habitats have become increasingly scarce due to outright habitat destruction and succession into closed forests through fire suppression and reductions in grazing.

Due to the loss of habitat, the Red-headed Woodpecker is a bird rarely seen. Its breeding ground includes woodlands and grasslands throughout North America. When it comes to building a nest, the Red-headed Woodpecker is like a squatter. It would rather take over an abandoned nest than build its own. It will even go so far as to use force to take over another bird's nest.

These birds are considered annoying because they have been known to cause damage to homes,they like to "drum," and they are early risers, which causes them to be noisy in the morning with their pecking of the trees. 

Woodpeckers are a federally protected bird under the North American Migratory Bird Act.
The Migratory Bird Treaty Act decreed that all migratory birds and their parts (including eggs, nests, and feathers) were fully protected. The Migratory Bird Treaty Act is the domestic law that affirms, or implements, the United States' commitment to four international conventions (with Canada, Japan, Mexico, and Russia) for the protection of a shared migratory bird resource.

The Red-headed Woodpecker and Euorpean Settlement

The red-headed woodpecker's migration during the period before and during the early European settlement was influenced by hard mast crop abundance. A favorite food at that time was the beech nut. This resulted in their migration to the large tracts of beech trees in the eastern US where there were vast forests of beech trees. How-ever during the European settlement these forests were cut and turned into farmland. By the early 1900s this source of food was largely gone.

This abundance of food resulted in the migration of the red-headed woodpecker to these beech forests, regardless of where they had been during the breeding season. Red-headed woodpeckers from Wisconsin, Michigan and Canada would move south to these forests. Red-headed woodpeckers from the upper plains, Minnesota, Iowa and Illinois would often move east to these forests. Red-headed woodpeckers from the east would move west and sometime even southern birds would move north to take advantage of the abundance of beech nuts.
Acorns were also a food source that influenced their movement or non-movement and still is to this day1. The oak savannah‟s were not only their breeding residences, but also would be their non-breeding residences and would attract red-headed woodpeckers from areas where the mast production was low for that year.

During the late 1700s and 1800s, the red-headed woodpecker was a common and widespread species in the Northeast. In the late 1800s, large concentrations of these birds were observed during fall migration in New York and Long Island. Now they are considered to be an uncommon migrant there. Today, only a handful of migrants are observed during migration in Cape May.

When European settlers landed on the shores of the Atlantic Coast, they found a widely varied landscape. While many believe that the entire northeastern United States was covered in mature forest, historical evidence suggests otherwise. Early explorers wrote about vast prairie-like expanses of grassland and open woodlands of park-like quality, and described many early successional plants, shrubs and trees.

They also spoke frequently of a land brimming with wildlife species often associated with early successional landscapes (grasslands, open woodlands, shrub-scrub habitats). Native Americans used fire as a tool to make hunting and traveling easier. Naturally occurring wildfire and fires set by the Indians helped shape the pre-European landscape of North America, which included a mosaic of early successional habitats. The practice of burning forests and grasslands was, and still is, a universal practice among aboriginal people around the world.

As Europeans settled, land-use changes occurred. By the early 1800s, much of the forests had been cut down and early-successional habitats were widespread. As agricultural practices began to change again throughout the 20th Century, early-successional areas were lost as farm fields reverted to forests or subdivisions and shopping malls.