Seasonal Changes in Woodpecker Foraging Methods: Strategies for Winter Survival

Woodpeckers increase in abundance but maintain fecundity in response to an outbreak of mountain pine bark beetles

“…Because of their generalist foraging habits and ability to extract beetle larvae in the sapwood of trees, many woodpeckers have access to a comparatively stable food . In contrast, during the winter, weaker excavators and non-excavators must broaden their foraging habits (Conner, 1981) or migrate, both of which may result in higher winter mortality and to compensate, those species have evolved higher or more flexible clutch sizes (Martin and Li, 1992;Ricklefs, 2000;Wiebe, 2006). Thus, seasonal stability of woodpecker food supply appears to be an important factor influencing their reproductive response to annual variation in prey abundance.…”

The influence of local habitat and landscape composition on cavity-nesting birds in a forested mosaic

“…For example resident species (e.g. red-breasted nuthatch, boreal chickadee, downy woodpecker, and hairy woodpecker) may occupy different parts of their territory ranges or alter their behaviour in winter, causing within-year variation in habitat selection (Conner, 1981;Van Horne, 1983). Resident species could also be at greater risk from landscape-scale forest management (Imbeau et al, 2001).…”

Forest Management Considerations for Conservation of Black Woodpecker Dryocopus martius and White-backed Woodpecker Dendrocopos leucotos Populations in Quinto Real (Spanish Western Pyrenees)

“…Of all Picidae, this species is the most specialised in feeding habits. Thus, it is probably the most vulnerable to changes in forestry management (Conner 1979).…”