Red-headed woodpecker (Melanerpes erythrocephalus) COSEWIC assessment and status report: chapter 11
Technical Summary
Melanerpes erythrocephalus
Red-headed Woodpecker – Pic à tête rouge
Range of Occurrence in Canada:
Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec
Extent and Area Information
Extent of occurrence (EO) (km²)
317,580 km². Calculated on the basis of the map of NatureServe 2006
Specify trend in EO
Declining
Are there extreme fluctuations in EO?
No
Area of occupancy (AO) (km²)
217 – 4,250 km². Range based on minimum territory size of 3.1 ha with a minimum population size of 700 pairs and a maximum territory size of 8.5 ha with a maximum population estimate of 5,000 breeding pairs
Specify trend in AO
Declining
Are there extreme fluctuations in AO?
Unlikely
Number of known or inferred current locations
N/A
Specify trend in #
N/A
Are there extreme fluctuations in number of locations?
N/A
Specify trend in area, extent or quality of habitat
Declining
Population Information
Generation time (average age of parents in the population)
3–5 years
Number of mature individuals
- 1,400–10,000
- Minimum based on Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas and community knowledge (700 pairs)
- Maximum based on BBS population estimates (5,000 pairs)
Total population trend:
Declining
% decline over the last/next 10 years or 3 generations
7%. Based on BBS trend estimates:
- decline of 70% between 1968 and 2005
- decline of 7% between 1995 and 2005
Are there extreme fluctuations in number of mature individuals?
Unlikely
Is the total population severely fragmented?
No
Specify trend in number of populations
N/A
Are there extreme fluctuations in number of populations?
N/A
List populations with number of mature individuals in each:
N/A
Threats (actual or imminent threats to populations or habitats)
- Elimination of potential nest and roosting sites (i.e., large snags) in agricultural and urban areas
- Loss of food source (beechnuts) through large-scale infection of beech forests by beech bark disease
Rescue Effect (immigration from an outside source)
Status of outside population(s)?
USA: BBS data indicate a significant negative population trend throughout the United States
Is immigration known or possible?
Yes
Would immigrants be adapted to survive in Canada?
Yes
Is there sufficient habitat for immigrants in Canada?
Yes, but declining
Is rescue from outside populations likely?
Limited rescue because of declining populations in the U.S.
Quantitative Analysis
N/A
Current Status
COSEWIC: Special Concern (1996); Threatened (2007)
Status and Reasons for Designation
Status: Threatened
Alpha-numeric code: C1
Reasons for Designation: This brightly coloured woodpecker of open deciduous forests of southeastern Canada and southern parts of western Canada has experienced a significant population decline over the long-term associated with habitat loss and the removal of dead trees in which it nests..There is no evidence to suggest that the population trend will be reversed.
Applicability of Criteria
- Criterion A: (Declining Total Population): Does not meet criterion.
- Criterion B: (Small Distribution, and Decline or Fluctuation): Does not meet criterion.
- Criterion C: (Small Total Population Size and Decline): Meets Threatened C1 because there are <10,000 mature individuals and a decline of at least 10% is probable in the next 10 years.
- Criterion D: (Very Small Population or Restricted Distribution): Does not meet criterion.
- Criterion E: (Quantitative Analysis): None available.
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