The red-cockaded woodpecker (Picoides borealis) is an endangered species of woodpecker found in the southeastern United States. Its preferred habitat is mature pine forests and woodlands with large, old pine trees. Here are some key details about the red-cockaded woodpecker’s habitat requirements:
Old-growth Pine Forests
The red-cockaded woodpecker strongly prefers old-growth pine forests and woodlands dominated by mature, living pine trees. These older pine trees provide better nesting and roosting sites for the birds. The woodpeckers excavate cavities for nesting and roosting in living pine trees that are at least 60 years old (and often much older).
Open Pine Woodlands
In addition to older pines, the red-cockaded woodpecker prefers open pine habitats with little midstory vegetation and dense groundcover. The open conditions allow the birds to more easily fly and forage for the insects, spiders, fruits, and seeds that make up their diet. Dense midstory vegetation impedes their flight and foraging.
Frequent Fire Regimes
Natural fire regimes play an important role in creating and maintaining the open, pine-dominated conditions favored by the red-cockaded woodpecker. More frequent, low-intensity fires help reduce encroaching hardwoods and minimize the midstory, while maintaining an open canopy and dense herbaceous groundcover. Fire suppression can allow the growth of a thicker midstory and transition to hardwood dominance.
Large Territories
Red-cockaded woodpeckers live in small family groups that require a large territory to meet their foraging and nesting needs. Their territories range from 125 to over 200 acres in size. Each group will excavate multiple cavity trees within its territory for roosting and nesting.
Southern Pine Species
The red-cockaded woodpecker strongly prefers older pines within the southern pine ecosystem. Its most important tree species include longleaf pine (Pinus palustris), shortleaf pine (Pinus echinata), loblolly pine (Pinus taeda), slash pine (Pinus elliottii), and pond pine (Pinus serotina). Longleaf pine is considered optimal where available.
Range of the Species
The red-cockaded woodpecker historically ranged across the southeastern United States from Texas to Florida to Virginia. Fire suppression and logging of older pines caused the species to disappear across much of its range. Today, red-cockaded woodpeckers are found in isolated populations in 11 states including Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia.
Cavities
A unique and important feature of the red-cockaded woodpecker’s habitat are the cavities they excavate in living, mature pine trees for nesting and roosting. These cavities take years to excavate and are reused for decades. The birds prefer trees infected with red heart fungus that makes the interior wood softer. The cavities provide shelter, offer a place to raise young, and help protect the birds from predators and adverse weather.
Cavity Tree Characteristics
- Living pines > 60 years old (often much older)
- Infected with red heart fungus (Phellinus pini)
- Open, park-like conditions around the cavity tree
- Cavities excavated over years, reused for decades
- Multiple cavities created in each cavity tree
Foraging Habitat
Red-cockaded woodpeckers forage primarily on and near the boles of older pine trees. Dead branches and dried stems of live branches provide important foraging sites. A dense groundcover of grasses and forbs also provides habitat for the birds’ insect prey. Red-cockaded woodpeckers occasionally forage on hardwoods but depend heavily on pines for food.
Foraging Habitat Characteristics
- Mature pine trees for probing, flaking, and gleaning
- Open midstory
- Dead branches and dried stems
- Dense herbaceous groundcover
Nesting Habitat
In additional to cavities for roosting, red-cockaded woodpeckers excavate cavities in older pines for nesting and raising young. The birds prefer to nest in trees within the interior of a stand vs. along edges. Nesting cavities are often in the upper half of the pine tree. The cavities help protect eggs and nestlings.
Nesting Cavity Characteristics
- Typically higher up on pine tree
- Deeper cavity provides added protection
- Often located in interior of stand
- Eggs laid on bed of pine wood chips
Threats to Habitat
Several major factors have threatened the red-cockaded woodpecker’s pine habitat and contributed to its decline:
- Logging of older pine forests
- Shorter timber harvest rotations
- Fire suppression allowing hardwood encroachment
- Loss of open park-like conditions
- Midstory encroachment
- Fragmentation of remaining habitat
Habitat Conservation
To help conserve and restore habitat for the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker, land managers can:
- Protect remaining old-growth pine stands
- Extend timber harvest rotations in pine forests
- Thin midstory vegetation
- Conduct prescribed burns to maintain open understory
- Create buffer zones around cavities
- Install artificial cavities where natural cavities are lacking
- Reconnect fragmented habitats through corridors
Conclusion
The red-cockaded woodpecker relies on a very specific set of habitat conditions only found in mature pine forests and woodlands of the southeastern United States. Conservation efforts aimed at protecting older pines, maintaining open conditions, and using prescribed fire are critical for preserving the species. Restoring the woodpecker’s habitat revolves around re-establishing open, frequently burned pine forests and woodlands dominated by large, older pine trees infected with heart rot fungus. These measures can help support viable populations of these unique and endangered woodpeckers.