Foraging behavior of the Eurasian Three-toed Woodpecker (Picoides tridactylus) and its implications for ecological restoration and sustainable boreal forest management

Versluijs, Martijn; Eggers, Sönke; Mikusiński, Grzegorz; Roberge, Jean‐Michel; Hjältén, Joakim

doi:10.5751/ace-01477-150106

Cited by 7 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 57 publications

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“…Our results stress that important foraging substrates are spruce, dead trees, as well as trees with a DBH larger than 25 cm. The preference of Norway Spruce as foraging substrate in forests dominated by Scots Pine is in line with other studies showing that Spruce is the preferred tree species (Fayt 1999, Zhu et al 2012, Versluijs et al 2020). However, though Pines were selected less than based on their availability, the time Three-toed Woodpeckers foraged on Pine trees during observation sessions was found to be higher than for birch and Spruce (Figure 5A).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

“…However, our observation period (April until the end of June) overlaps with the pre-nesting period. It also overlaps with the observation periods used in Versluijs et al (2020) and Pakkala et al (2018a). In those studies, it was shown that Three-toed Woodpeckers use up to 14.7% of their foraging time in forests being subject to prescribed burnings (Versluijs et al 2020) and between 18-33% in mature forests (Pakkala et al 2018a, Versluijs et al 2020 for sap-feeding.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 82%

“…However, to our knowledge no other studies have described the importance of root collars for Three-toed Woodpeckers. Neither was this behaviour observed in woodpeckers foraging in areas being subject to prescribed burnings in northern Sweden (Versluijs et al 2020). We suspect that a high abundance of wood-boring arthropods, most likely beetle larvae from the family Buprestidae or Cerambycidae, attracts Three-toed Woodpeckers to forage on the root collars even if access to this resource means higher energetic effort.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 89%

“…We used the same observation protocol as in Versluijs et al (2020). However, the present study was performed in another region located several hundred kilometres farther to the south, the types of fires differ (small controlled prescribed fires in Versluijs et al 2020 vs. a large wildfire in the present study) and the study designs differ. From the end of April to the end of June in 2016, the 17 plots were surveyed multiple times for the presence of Three-toed Woodpeckers.…”

Section: Focal Observationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A study by Versluijs et al (2020) performed in forest stands subjected to prescribed burning in northern Sweden showed that Three-toed Woodpeckers preferred foraging substrates that can generally be described as freshly dead trees with a diameter at breast height (DBH) of more than 15 cm. Norway Spruce Picea abie and birch Betula spp.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Foraging Behaviour of the Eurasian Three-Toed Woodpecker Picoides tridactylus in Its Peak Abundance After Wildfire

Versluijs

Mikusiński

Roberge

2022

Ardea

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In the boreal biome, forest fires are the most important natural disturbance influencing tree substrate availability and quality for a range of specialized species. This includes the Eurasian Three-toed Woodpecker Picoides tridactylus, which is known to promptly utilize burned forest habitats. However, there are no studies addressing the foraging behaviour of this woodpecker in forests affected by wildfire. Such knowledge could assist the development of efficient post-fire management strategies which are in line with biodiversity conservation objectives. This study describes the foraging behaviour of the Eurasian Three-toed Woodpecker during the breeding season in a forest area of 13,100 ha in south-central Sweden affected by a major wildfire in 2014. During the second breeding season after fire, we used instantaneous sampling where we observed the foraging behaviour of 28 individuals during a total of 1681 observation minutes. Our results suggest that Norway Spruce Picea abies and larger diameter trees (DBH > 25 cm) are important foraging substrates. However, data on time spent foraging on the different substrates suggest that Scots Pines Pinus sylvestris also are important. In particular, we identified the importance of the root collars, where excavation into sapwood was the main foraging method. Our study was performed during a clearly visible peak of Eurasian Three-toed Woodpecker abundance and this may suggest that the level of food resources available was very high which led to observed foraging patterns not necessarily observed in other types of habitats.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 82%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 89%

Section: Focal Observationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Foraging Behaviour of the Eurasian Three-Toed Woodpecker Picoides tridactylus in Its Peak Abundance After Wildfire

Versluijs

Mikusiński

Roberge

2022

Ardea

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Wildfire influences species assemblage and habitat utilisation of boreal wildlife after more than a decade in northern Sweden

Fredriksson,

Cromsigt,

Hofmeester

2024

Wildlife Biology

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Fires can strongly change the vegetation structure and the availability of resources for wildlife, but fire suppression has long affected the natural role of fire in shaping boreal ecosystems in northern Europe. Recently, wildfires have increased in frequency, possibly due to global warming. In contrast to the boreal systems in North America, there have been few studies on responses of wildlife to wildfires in northern Europe. Based on the findings from North America, we predict that responses of wildlife to wildfire vary among wildlife species: where mammalian herbivores, such as moose Alces alces and mountain hare Lepus timidus, will be attracted to burnt areas following an increase in food availability, other species, such as reindeer Rangifer tarandus, are negatively impacted due to fire reducing their preferred food. We then tested our predictions by contrasting wildlife utilization of sites that burnt by wildfire in 2006 with nearby unburnt control sites in three areas in northern Sweden. To measure wildlife utilization, we used 72 camera traps, equally divided between the burnt and control sites, with two placement strategies: random and on wildlife trails. The cameras recorded 27 mammal and bird species during summer 2018. Species assemblage differed between burnt and control sites. Fieldfare Turdus pilaris used burnt sites more than control sites, while pine marten Martes martes and western capercaillie Tetrao urogallus used control sites more than burnt sites. We however did not find support for a positive effect of past forest fires on any of the observed wild mammals. We discuss how, due to the impact of forestry, forage‐rich habitat may not be as limiting in Scandinavia as in the North‐American context, potentially leading to recently burnt sites being less attractive to herbivores such as moose.

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Ecological Restoration of the Boreal Forest in Fennoscandia

Hjältén

Kouki

Tolvanen

et al. 2023

Advances in Global Change Research

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Mixed-severity disturbances have historically shaped boreal forests, creating a dynamic mosaic landscape. In Fennoscandia, however, intensive even-aged forest management has simplified the forest landscape, threatening biodiversity. To safeguard this biodiversity, we therefore need to restore structural complexity in hitherto managed forests. Knowledge generated from relevant case studies on natural disturbance emulation–based ecological restoration suggests that prescribed burning positively affects many early-successional organisms. Gap cutting benefits some insects and wood fungi but has a limited effect on birds, bryophytes, and vascular plants. Restoration of deciduous forests appears to benefit light- and deciduous tree–associated insect species and some forest birds.

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Foraging behavior of the Eurasian Three-toed Woodpecker (Picoides tridactylus) and its implications for ecological restoration and sustainable boreal forest management

Cited by 7 publications

References 57 publications

Foraging Behaviour of the Eurasian Three-Toed Woodpecker Picoides tridactylus in Its Peak Abundance After Wildfire

Foraging Behaviour of the Eurasian Three-Toed Woodpecker Picoides tridactylus in Its Peak Abundance After Wildfire

Wildfire influences species assemblage and habitat utilisation of boreal wildlife after more than a decade in northern Sweden

Ecological Restoration of the Boreal Forest in Fennoscandia

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