Whats so important about Red-Headed Woodpeckers?
Due largely to our management practices, Red-headed woodpecker populations have declined 89% since 1967. Abundance of Red-Heads also impacts many other species. Red-Heads are primary cavity excavators. They create tree holes for nesting, food storage and roosting. Once abandoned, these cavities become sites for secondary cavity nesters, birds that will not create their own holes but depend on holes left by others. These species include bluebirds, swallows, wrens, flycatchers, kestrels, screech-owls as well as others. Loss of Red-Heads can have a wide impact.
