Red-headed Woodpeckers are striking North American woodpeckers.
But their gorgeous looks have not kept them off the Partners In Flight’s Yellow Watch List, the list of species that require constant monitoring and long-term assessment to prevent further declines. In their case, further declines from the current 1%\year or 54% in total since mid-1960s.
They are also listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List.
This loss is primarily due to, guess what? Habitat loss. In Red-headed Woodpeckers’ case the primary losses are the total collapse of chestnuts and declining beech nut tree numbers, both key sources of food. In response, they have been relying more on acorns, but acorns are not sufficiently abundant to support the once populous red-heads. Plus, they are not doing well in suburban areas because the dead trees & snags they rely on for nest cavities are being removed in preferred landscaping practices.
A little bit of good news is individual homeowners and public space managers can take simple steps to help mitigate the loss: plant oaks & leave tree snags that can be left safely.
