Photo: Red-headed Woodpecker, Matt Felperin
Evelyn Novins
In 2022, the North American Bird Conservation Initiative, a forum of government agencies and private bird initiatives, compiled a State of the Birds Report, which shows a steep population decline of many bird populations. The report identifies 70 species as birds that have lost two-thirds of their population over the last 50 years and are projected to lose 50% of their population over the next 50 years. These birds are deemed at a “tipping point” for extinction. Without consequential intervention they are likely to become threatened or endangered or extinct. Like a canary in a coal mine, the birds are warning us that the environment cannot sustain life.
The State of the Birds report identified five species of birds that breed in northern Virginia as at a tipping point. One of the birds at the tipping point is the Red-headed Woodpecker, a year-round resident of northern Virginia that is considered uncommon during every season.
The Red-headed Woodpecker requires a habitat with open areas of trees, typically oak or beech trees, with little vegetation on the ground. They prefer areas with mature trees and minimal understory but can be found in woodlands and mixed forests, and along rivers and streams where there are plenty of snags. Good examples of supportive habitat are in Fairfax County at Huntley Meadows Park and Bull Run Regional Park, and in Prince William County at Conway Robinson State Forest.
Red-headed Woodpecker at Huntley Meadows, Seth Honig
So why are snags important? Snags are standing dead and dying trees. They occur because of natural disasters such as lightning strikes or animal damage, disease, too much shade, not enough rain, or even old age. In Huntley Meadows the snags are created by flooding from beavers. Red-headed Woodpeckers are cavity nesters and snags are the perfect medium for creating a nest. The woodpeckers use dead trees or dead parts of live trees where they drill a gourd-shaped cavity in the tree or natural cavity. The nest will measure about 3-6 inches across and 8-16 inches deep with an entrance of just 2 inches in diameter. Drilling out a nest cavity can take from 12 to 17 days, and the birds may use a cavity for more than one year. Smooth snags which have lost their bark can provide protection from snakes, a common predator. Snags and dead trees also provide abundant areas for food storage, foraging, roosting, and perching.
The Red-headed Woodpecker eats primarily nut cops such as acorns and beech nuts, caching extras in wood for later. But they also eat fruit and are adept at catching insects in the air, which is not true of all woodpeckers. They sometimes also visit feeders. In spite of its seemingly wide variety of food choices, its essential habitat has suffered in an urbanizing area like northern Virginia because of development and habitat fragmentation.
So, it’s essential to protect areas of intact woodlands like Huntley Meadows, Bull Run Regional Park and Conway Robinson State Forest. They are protected areas, but threatened encroachments occur from time to time. ASNV has had to respond at least twice in the last five years to threats to Huntley Meadows Park (a bike path and an adjacent development). So, let’s appreciate these areas and take steps to protect them whenever threats arise. And, if you live near a woodland that is so fortunate as to host these stunning birds, by all means consider welcoming them to a backyard bird feeder with seeds, corn or suet!