Selection of Nest and Roost Trees by Pileated Woodpeckers in Coastal Forests of Washington

Providing adequate habitat for the pileated woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus) is a key component of federal forest management plans in the Pacific Northwest, yet information is extremely limited on characteristics of trees selected by this species for nesting or roosting in coastal forests. We investi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of wildlife management 2002-04, Vol.66 (2), p.392-406
Main Authors: Aubry, Keith B., Raley, Catherine M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal and plant ecology
Animal behavior
Animal nesting
Animal reproduction
Animal, plant and microbial ecology
Animals
Applied ecology
Autoecology
Aves
Biological and medical sciences
Bird nesting
Birds
Coastal forests
Conservation, protection and management of environment and wildlife
Forest habitats
Forest service
Forests
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
General aspects
Habitats
Old growth forests
Silver
Tree cavities
Trees
Vertebrata
Wildlife management
Woodpeckers
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Summary:Providing adequate habitat for the pileated woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus) is a key component of federal forest management plans in the Pacific Northwest, yet information is extremely limited on characteristics of trees selected by this species for nesting or roosting in coastal forests. We investigated selection by pileated woodpeckers of both individual tree and site characteristics for nesting and roosting in coastal forests, and evaluated the efficacy of current management prescriptions for these woodpeckers on federal lands. From 1990 to 1995, we used call surveys, ground searches, and radiotelemetry to locate 25 nest and 144 roost trees used by 31 adult pileated woodpeckers (16 females, 15 males) in western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla) forests located about 20 km east of the Pacific coast in Washington, USA. Nesting pairs typically excavated nest cavities in different trees each year, and individual birds used an average of 7 different roost trees during the nonbreeding season. Pileated woodpeckers used decadent live trees as often as snags for both nesting and roosting. They selected Pacific silver fir (Abies amabilis) for nesting and western redcedar (Thuja plicata) for roosting, and selected against western hemlock for both activities. For nesting, pileated woodpeckers used only trees 65-154 cm in diameter at breast height (dbh) but were not selective within this range; for roosting, they selected trees 155-309 cm dbh and selected against trees
ISSN:0022-541X
1937-2817
DOI:10.2307/3803172