Exploring the Endangered Species: The Plight of the Red-cockaded Woodpecker

The Red-cockaded woodpecker (RCW) is not the most radiantly beautiful bird that people seek to see. What it is though, is a small 9 inch black and white woodpecker. The males have a red cockade (streak) on each side of its black cap that is very difficult to see in the field. Its most easily identifiable feature is its large white cheeks. This little woodpecker plays a vital role in the intricate web of life of the southeastern pine forest. 

A number of small birds and mammals use the cavities excavated by the RCW. Such as, Chickadees, Bluebirds, Titmice, and several other woodpeckers species. Larger woodpeckers, like the Northern Flicker and the Pileated woodpecker, may take over a RCW cavity sometimes enlarging the hole enough to allow Eastern Screech Owls, Wood Ducks and even Raccoons to move in later. Flying Squirrels, several species of reptiles and amphibians, and insects, primarily bees and wasps, also will use the RCW cavities.

You see, the woods you hike through today and the woods that you see behind your house in the Southeast U.S. are not the native forest. The woods you see today and that you have known your entire life exist because prior to the late 1800's and the 1900's the Southeast region of North America was mostly Longleaf Pine forest with species-rich ground cover on rolling terrain. Longleaf Pines were extensively logged for their value as lumber. It is also known as Yellow wood. The Longleaf pine is a very tall (80 -100 feet tall), straight tree with a large diameter trunk. The limbs are only at the very top of the tree, so there are very few knots in the wood.  Longleaf communities were also transformed into agriculture fields. Since the 1950s, clearcutting of Longleaf pines for development and agriculture has been a threat to many species that depend on the old-growth pines as it has caused habitat fragmentation. Fire suppression can and will degrade Longleaf and Slash Pine communities causing it to become foraging areas with low productivity. These habitats need low fuel burns every 1-3 years to keep the succession of hardwoods.

What the RCW needs most in order for its species to multiply, is old-growth Pine trees. Approximately 70 to 100 year old trees. The reason behind this is to be able to excavate cavities in living trees to roost and nest in. The RCW is the only woodpecker in the state of Alabama to nest in “Living”  pine trees. There is a fungus called Red Heart Rot, which attacks the center of the trunk, causing the inner wood, the heartwood, to become soft. This fungus primarily affects the heartwood of mature and overmature pine trees, which softens the wood and allows the RCW to excavate its roosting and nesting cavities. Cavities generally take 1-3 years to excavate. An interesting fact about the RCW, is that around its nesting cavity, it taps holes into the live pine tree called sap wells, that induce the tree to excrete resin out. The resin ends up creating a slippery surface so that the RCWs number one predator, the rat snake, cannot climb the tree to enter the cavity.  

The RCW is a non-migrant and are Cooperative breeders. This means they have up to 4, but generally one or two “Helpers” that will help incubate eggs, as well as feed and brood nestlings and fledglings. RCWs live in small groups called clusters or colonies that encompass a 1-10 acre area. Their foraging territory covers 125-200 acres of land. The breeding female lays 3-4 eggs in the breeding male's roost cavity. There is only one pair of breeding birds within each group of up to 9-10 members, though typically 3-4 members. The helpers are usually male while the juvenile females generally leave the group before the next nesting season in search of solitary male groups. 

This is where defragmentation comes into play. The RCW is not excited about flying across open land. With the clearcutting, development, roadways and a list of other reasons, there have been vast areas exposed to nothing but openness. These birds are not able to spread their genetic diversity to other colonies which, in return, can lead to breeding within the colony. This makes the birds susceptible to diseases, viruses, and growth defects. There are efforts being made at Federal, State and local levels to save existing habitats. They are also making efforts to increase new habitats and purchase lands to create a so-called “Nature Highway” to allow wildlife to commute through suitable habitats in order to spread diversity amongst their species and  find new grounds to inhabit.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission began a management program in 2006 called the RCW Safe Harbor Program. The Safe Harbor Program is an agreement with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service under the Federal Endangered Species Act (ESA). The goal of the program is to help conserve the RCW through partnerships with private landowners. Since the RCW are protected under the ESA, the landowners have a legal obligation to protect the birds and their habitat. The agreement works when the landowner is interested in restoring or enhancing habitats that may benefit this endangered species, but are not concerned about incurring additional regulatory restrictions on the use of their land. It effectively freezes a landowner’s ESA responsibilities as long as the owner agrees to restore, enhance or create habitat that benefits the RCW. Property owners can maintain, restore, or enhance RCW habitat with the assurance that additional birds will not result in more land restrictions. This program is voluntary and a landowner can withdraw from it at any time.

Other successful management processes on Federal lands include the use of artificial cavities and population augmentation. Artificial cavities are placed in Pine trees in areas that actively practice prescribed burns. This process involves climbing 25-40 feet up a live pine tree. Then a chainsaw is used to notch out a block of wood from the tree in order to slide an artificial cavity into the pine tree. This, though a bit labor intensive, has been quite successful. 

Additional successful management practices have been the use of translocation on juvenile birds from one population to another. This aids in the survival of small group populations for increased genetic diversity in smaller populations and for the introduction of these birds into an expandible, suitable, habitat. 

The RCW is an endangered species that ranges from Florida to Virginia, and from southeast Oklahoma to eastern Texas. It is now considered extinct in New Jersey, Maryland and Missouri. The RCW was put on the Endangered species list in October 1970. Today, there are an estimated 5,000 groups or 12,500 birds in this vast area. That number represents 1% of the original population. 

The Okmulgee Division of the Talladega National Forest is home to the largest concentration of the endangered species RCW in the state of Alabama. It has an excess of 100 groups, clusters, or clans of birds living there. 

My hope is to educate people and to make them aware of how the cause and effects of certain things, such as development and deforestation, can greatly impact an entire species similar to how it has affected the Red-cockaded woodpecker and its habitat.