Picoides borealis

This species is not complete.

June 17, 2009 by Jane Atkins

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Sensitivity Factor	Sensitivity Help 1 - 7 (one being least sensitive, seven being most sensitive)	Confidence Help 1 - 5 (one being least sensitive, five being most sensitive)
Generalist/Specialist	5 High	1 Very Poor
Physiology
Life History	7 Extremely High
Habitat
Dispersal Ability	3 Medium
Disturbance Regimes	5 High
Ecology
Non-Climatic
Other (weight)

Sensitivity Score Help: 30 Medium

Sensitivity Score

100 * [(0.5 *(Dispersal Distance + Dispersal Barriers) + Disturbance Regimes + (0.5 * Generalist/Specialist) + Physiology + (0.5 * Life History) + Sensitive Habitats + Ecology + Non-Climatic Stressors + (Other * Weight) / 49 + (7 * Weight)]

Note: if Sensitive Habitats are identified, this factor automatically gets a value of seven, otherwise it remains zero.

Confidence Score Help: 0

Confidence Score

The Confidence Score is an average of the Confidence column above.

Overall User Ranking: 6 High

Common Name:

Red-cockaded woodpecker

Is this Species completed:

Taxonomy

This is a description of the whole group

Scientific Name:

Picoides borealis

Realm:

Terrestrial

Kingdom:

Animal

Phylum:

Craniata

Class:

Aves

Order:

Piciformes

Family:

Picidae

Genus:

Picoides

Global Rank:

G3 (2007)

Rounded Global Rank:

G3 - Vulnerable

IUCN:

Vulnerable C1+2a(i) - 2010

US Endangered Species Act Code:

Endangered

Species Element Code:

ABNYF07060

Target Rationale:

Vulnerable

Generalist/Specialist

Broadly, where does this species fall on the spectrum of generalist to specialist? :

Confidence in your assessment of the degree to which the species is a generalist or specialist:

1 Very Poor

Please specify which factors, if any, make the species more of a specialist:

foraging dependency

host plant dependency (symbiont/mutualist/parasite)

Please further describe the relationships that make the species more of a specialist:

P. borealis depends on old-growth pine trees for cavity nesting. Unlike most cavity nesters, P. borealis preferentially nests in living snags. Prefers longleaf pine, Pinus palustris, but will also use loblolly (Pinus taeda), shortleaf (Pinus echinata), slash (Pinus ellioti), pond pine (Pinus rigida), and even bald cypress (Taxodium disthicus) (Dennis 1971). Will use dead pines, but prefers living, old pines, with heartwood infested by red heart disease, a fungus (Phellinus pini) that attacks the heartwood, destroys cell walls, and causes the wood to become soft and pithy (Steirly 1957). While this makes cavity excavation easier, it also weakens trees and increases risk of wind damage. Foraging dependent on mature stands of pine and some hardwood. Feeds on a variety of insects, larvae, and berries. Clear-cut areas, despite adjacent suitable cavity nesting sites, will render habitat unsuitable due to lack of adequate foraging grounds.

Comments:

At least 25 invertebrates have been observed using cavities. Intense competition for cavities may drive P. borealis out of active cavities, especially in highly fragmented or small habitats.

Citations:

NatureServe. 2009. NatureServe Explorer: An online encyclopedia of life [web application]. Version 7.1. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia. Available http://www.natureserve.org/explorer. (Accessed: June 17, 2009 ).

Physiology

Please specify whether or not this species is physiologically sensitive to one or more of the following:

Please describe any specific physiological sensitivities:

Flooding of nest cavities can lead to abandonment of cavity; weather events that include heavy precipitation may have negative effect on cluster.

Citations:

Life History

Species' reproductive strategy:

7 k-selection (few offspring, high parental investment, e.g., elephant)

Is the species polycyclic, iteroparous, or semelparous?:

Polycyclic (reproduces intermittently throughout a lifespan)

Average length of time to reproductive maturity:

2 years

How many surviving young can an individual produce during a single reproductive event under optimal conditions?:

How many reproductive events can an individual undergo in a single year under optimal conditions?:

Comments:

P. borealis breeds cooperatively and in clusters of 6-7 breeding pairs. Breeding pairs are monogamous and breed for life. If male dies, female may disperse to new area and continue breeding. Breeding pairs are frequently assisted in rearing hatchlings by one or more helpers. Presence of helper with breeding pair greatly improves reproductive success. Nesting occurs in the cavity of the breeding male and incubation period of 10-12 days is shared among pair and helper.

Citations:

Sensitive Habitats

Level of philopatry:

medium

Comments:

Dependent on historically abundant southern pine savanna forests, with intermittent low intensity fire regime. Habitat loss/degradation due to conversion and harvesting activities. Needs forest in or approaching old-growth conditions (100-125 years old) in order to have adequate nesting and foraging trees.

Dispersal Ability

Maximum annual dispersal distance:

5-25km

Within the context of dispersal distance above, do barriers to dispersal exist?:

Please select the types of barriers relevant to dispersal:

Agriculture

Industrial or Urban Development

Suburban or Rural Residential Development

Clear cut

Please enter any known specific restrictions to dispersal:

P. borealis able to traverse unsuitable habitat in dispersal, but fragmented habitat limits dispersal

Comments:

In North Carolina, fledgling females dispersed an average of 4.8 km, maximum 31.5 km; breeding males dispersed an average of 2.1 km, maximum 15 km; fledgling males dispersed an average of 5.1 km, maximum 21.1 km; helper males dispersed an average of 1.8 km, maximum 17.1 km; and solitary males dispersed an average of 2.3 km, maximum 8.5 km (Walters 1989).

Citations:

Disturbance Regimes

How sensitive is this species to one or more disturbance regimes:

5 more sensitive

Please check all disturbance regimes upon which the species is sensitive:

Fire

Please describe the disturbance regimes upon which the species is sensitive (frequency, timing, severity, duration):

low intensity fire regime, historically lightning fires occuring during the growing season at 1-10 year intervals

Comments:

fire regime improves and maintains habitat type, open, park-like old-growth pine woodlands; helps to keep out encroaching hardwoods, and encourages open understorey that improves foraging. Also may help reduce predation from nest predators such as rat snakes and squirrels.

Citations:

Overall User Ranking

In your opinion, how would you rank the overall sensitivity of this species to climate change?:

Comments:

Windfall from hurricanes negatively affects populations, and may greatly inhibit recovery. Hurricane Hugo (South Carolina, 1989) reduced population by 63% percent, and recovery time may be up to 75 years as forest stand is restored to old-growth conditions necessary for nesting and foraging. Southern pine beetle infestation increases mortality of appropriate nesting trees, reducing available cavity nesting trees. Recovery of P. borealis to abundance levels may help to control pine beetle, but at current population densities, pine beetle infestation negatively affects P. borealis. Any climate related decline in pine forest habitats would greatly inhibit recovery.

Citations:

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Climate Change Sensitivity Database

Picoides borealis

Sensitivity Score

Confidence Score

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