ohio’s woodpeckers - ohio bird conservation · pdf fileamazing abilities of woodpeckers...
TRANSCRIPT
Marne TitchenellWildlife Program Specialist
School of Environment and Natural Resources
OHIO’S WOODPECKERS: FLICKERS, SAPSUCKERS,
DOWNIES, AND MORE!
Ohio State University Extension
What Will We Talk About:–
Amazing abilities of
woodpeckers
–
Woodpecker Habitat
–
The Life of a Woodpecker
–
Ohio’s Woodpeckers
–
Attracting Woodpeckers
The Woodpeckers: Nature’s Power Tools
–
Highly specialized group of birds
• Nature’s power tools
• Carpenters of the bird world
• Specialize in cavity excavation
• Insect excavators
The Woodpecker Family
–
Picidae• Piculets
(2)
• Wrynecks‐
Genus Jynx
• Picids‐
Woodpeckers
‐
Sapsuckers
–
US woodpeckers are picids
• 22 species• 7 in Ohio
Diversity of Family Picidae
Smallest & Largest ‐
Worldwide Smallest & Largest – United States
Bar‐breasted Piculet
Imperial Woodpecker
Pileated
Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
The Ivory‐Billed Woodpecker Story
–
Largest woodpecker north of Mexico
–
Was found in mature forests in southeast US
–
Believed to be extinct since mid‐1900’s
–
Rediscovered in Arkansas, 2005
–
Controversy over rediscover, still no agreement
The Woodpeckers: Very Specialized Family
–
Avoiding brain damage
–
Specialized beak
–
Long tongue with modified tip
–
Protected nostrils and eyes
–
Short legs and strong toes
–
Stiff tail feathers
–
Protective coloring
–
Large ribs for extra muscle attachment
The Woodpecker: World’s Best Shock Absorber
Strength and speed of impact:
• 100 times per minute• Speeds of 12‐15 mph• Force of 600‐1500 G’s• Decelerating after 1200 G’s =
coming to compete stop
from 26,000 mph
–Human left with concussion after 100 G’s
–How do woodpeckers avoid brain damage on a daily
basis??
The Woodpecker: World’s Best Shock Absorber
–
Frontal bone in skull• Helps keep upper bill in place
–
Cartilage for cushion• Extra between bill and skull to
absorb shock‐
Protractor muscle
–
Perfect aim• Each blow delivered straight on
(perfect right angle)
–
Tiny padded brain• Brain lacks the mass to develop
enough inertia to cause damage
• Brain placement in skull and 90
degree angle attack‐
Shock wave travels below brain
A Little Extra Muscle Never Hurts
–
Wider neck ribs for more muscle
attachment
• More muscle to absorb shock and constantly
drill, peck, hack, and whack!
That’s One Weird Looking Tongue!
–
Tongue bone • Hyoid apparatus‐
Long slender, flexible
bones‐
Serve as attachment site
for muscles‐
Longer tongue = more
muscles = more extension
and strength
Why are Woodpecker Tongues so Special?
–
It’s on the tip of the tongue…
• Sensitive• Sticky• Hairy• Barbed
Specialized Beak
–
Shape –
Length
–
Size
–
Self sharpening• Bony inner structure
covered with durable, leathery sheath
(ramphotheca)
‐
Constantly growing• Like fingernails
‐
Constantly sharpened by
everyday abrasion
Safety Glasses and Nose Protection
–
Feathers to protect nostrils and filter air
–
Eyes tightly fit in skull• Prevents injury during
pecking
–
Blink to protect eye• Also serves as “seat belt”
–
Well positioned eyes• Will see predators when tree
directly in front of them• See quite well and in color
Strong Feet and Tail Feathers
–
Amazing feet• Zygodactyl
toes
‐
Two toes forwards
‐
Two toes backward
–
Tail feathers• 3rd
leg of the tripod
• Center 2 feathers longest and strongest
‐
Pointed tips, reinforced
shaft, strong interlocking
barbs‐
Molted last
Protective Clothing
–
Disruptive Coloration• Helps to conceal from
predators • Sharp contrast breaks up
and hides shape and outline
Meet Ohio’s Woodpeckers!
Woodpecker Habitat Needs
–
Trees a requirement
• For nesting and feeding• Larger the woodpecker,
larger the tree needed‐
Pileated
woodpecker
–
Exception to the rule:‘
• Gila Woodpecker‐
Resides in southwest
deserts and into MexicoSaguaro Cactus
Woodpecker Habitat Needs
–
Food• Insects main food‐
Eggs, larvae, adults
‐
Ants and beetles• One flicker stomach had over
3,000 ants in it!
‐
Moths and butterflies‐
Caterpillars
‐
Spiders
Woodpecker Habitat Needs
–
Food• Bird eggs and nestlings‐
Red‐bellied
woodpecker
• Fruit (berries)
Oooo, a
plane!
Woodpecker Habitat Needs
–
Food• Acorns, seeds, nuts‐
A few species will cache
nuts over winter• Red‐headed woodpecker
Woodpecker Habitat Needs
–
Acorn Woodpecker• Drills acorn sized holes into
trees‐
Granary –
primary tree for
each family
‐
Up to 50,000 holes each with 1
acorn
Woodpecker Habitat Needs
–
Food
• Sap‐
Yellow‐bellied
sapsucker‐
Feed at sapwells• Small holes pecked in neat
rows
‐
Sap is about 20‐30% of their diet
• Other wildlife benefits
• Tree usually heals
Woodpecker Habitat Needs
–
Food
• Sap‐
Yellow‐bellied
sapsucker‐
Feed at sapwells• Small holes pecked in neat
rows
‐
Sap is about 20‐30% of their diet
• Other wildlife benefits
• Tree usually heals
Woodpecker Habitat Needs
–
Migration• Yellow‐bellied sapsucker‐
Stopover in Ohio to feed and
rest
–
Rest of Ohio woodpeckers remain year round
Woodpecker Communication
‐
Calls not songs‐
Single note repeated over and
over‐
Most woodpeckers have
variety of calls
‐
Used for communication‐
Territoriality
‐
Mating
‐
Alarm
‐
Drumming‐
Also form of communication
‐
Mainly during breeding season
Woodpecker Breeding Season
–
Starts with males securing territories in early spring
• Large the bird = larger the
territory‐
Downy – ½‐1 acre‐
Pileated
–
1‐2 sq. miles
–
Cavity excavation• Most create their own• Flickers will use existing cavity
–
Tree selection• Decaying tree or live tree‐
Live trees can work for larger
woodpeckers
Are you about done
with that cavity?
Woodpecker Cavity Excavation
–
Male begins excavation• Cavity preparation pair
bonding• Male does most of the
work• Can take 1‐3 weeks‐
Pileated
–
3‐6 weeks
–
Entrance hole as small as possible
• Clue to woodpecker species
‐
Downy – 1 ¼”
circle
‐
Pileated
–
3½ x 4”
oval
Woodpecker Reproduction
–
Color of bird eggs VIP• Camouflage
–
Woodpeckers lay white eggs
• No camouflage needed
–
Most only one brood a year
• Hairy – 6 eggs• Red‐headed – 10 eggs
–
Both parents incubate, feed, and raise young
• Both have brood patches
Hatching Time!
Ohio’s Woodpeckers
Pileated
Woodpecker
–Largest Ohio woodpecker (and US)
–Habitat• Large tract of mature
woods• Large trees for roosting• Carpenter ants, wood‐
boring insects and other invertebrates, & mast
Pileated
Woodpecker
–Fairly common across range
Northern Flicker
–Pic
Flamboyant (French) • Large, brown noisy,
animated, uniquely patterned woodpecker
–Habitat• Woodlands, forest edges,
& open fields with scattered trees, as well as
city parks and suburbs• Ground‐loving – ant
eater, also beetles and other inverts, and mast
‐
Pecks soil for ants
Red Shafted ‐
Western
Yellow Shafted – East & North
Northern Flicker
–Widespread and common
throughout range
Red Shafted ‐
Western
Yellow Shafted – East & North
Red‐bellied Woodpecker
–
Despite name, red belly rarely visible
–
Habitat• Most forests, woodlands,
and wooded suburbs of the
eastern United States
• Insects, spiders, and other
arthropods, mast, and
sometimes lizards and
nestling birds‐
Barbed tongue with sticky
saliva
–
Populations increasing throughout most of range
Red‐headed Woodpecker
–Bold patterns earned nickname – “flying checker
board”• Males and females identical
–Habitat• Woodlands with oak or
beech, groves of dead or dying trees, and open areas
(burned, harvested)• 1/3 insect and 2/3 mast‐
Seeds, berries, nuts
‐
Successful aerial hawkers
juvenile
Red‐headed Woodpecker
–
Once common throughout range, now uncommon and local in many regions
• Nomadic
Yellow‐bellied Sapsucker
–Ohio’s only migratory woodpecker
• April‐May except NE Ohio
–Habitat• Young forests and edge
habitat, esp. forests regenerating from timber
harvesting• Sap is primary food, but
also insects (ants and spiders)
Yellow‐bellied Sapsucker
–Widest range of 4 species of sapsuckers in US
•Populations stable, but require young forests
Hairy Woodpecker
–Larger of 2 look‐alikes of Ohio woodpeckers
• Hairy – larger, longer bill and body
‐
Bill roughly as long as head
‐
All white outer tail feathers
–Habitat• Mature woodlands with
medium to large trees‐
Urban and rural areas
• 75% diet is insects• Readily visits suet feeders
Can I help
you with
something?
Hairy Woodpecker
–One of most widespread of all NA woodpeckers
Can I help
you with
something?
Downy Woodpecker
‐
Smallest woodpecker in Ohio and US
• Bill roughly 1/3 size of head• Black spots on white outer
tail feathers
‐
Habitat• Open woodlands,
particularly deciduous woods and along streams
‐
Rural and urban areas
• Diet mainly insects• Readily visits suet feeders
Downy Woodpecker
–
Numerous across range with stable population
numbers
Attracting Woodpeckers
–
Trees a requirement• Dead or dying trees‐
In multiple stages of decay
–
Size of woodlot• Small – Downie, Hairy, Red‐
bellied
• Larger – Pileated
–
Nest boxes where cavities
and snags lacking• Flickers
–
Feeders• Especially in winter!
–
Bird baths
Nuisance Woodpeckers
–
Problems:
• Damage to building• Usually between June – Feb.
–
Management Options:
‘
• Woodpeckers are protected by
law‐
Can not physically harm them
• Scare tactics• Window decals, reflective
materials (CDs, mylar
tape),
loud noises
• Netting‐
Excludes woodpeckers
• Tactile repellents‐
Birds don’t like sticky feet
Woodpecker helping trees, too!
–
Alphabet soup for dinner!
• EAB and ALB‐
Emerald Ash Borer
and Asian Longhorned
Beetle
Online Resources
–Cornell Lab of Ornithology – All About Birds• www.allaboutbirds.org
– Internet Center for Wildlife Damage Management• www.icwdm.org
–OSU Woodland Stewards• www.woodlandstewards.osu.edu
–Marne Titchenell• [email protected]• 614‐292‐0402
Questions?