Nest site selection and nest survival of Black-backed Woodpeckers after wildfire

Abstract

Recently burned coniferous forests host wildlife communities that respond to variation in burn severity, post-fire habitat structure, and patch configuration. Habitat selection theory predicts that birds inhabiting these variable post-fire landscapes will select nesting locations that confer an adaptive advantage through increased fitness and reproductive success. Understanding the effect of post-fire habitat on avian nesting ecology can provide valuable information to guide restoration and management after wildfire. The Black-backed Woodpecker (Picoides arcticus) is strongly associated with recently burned forests in the western United States, where it is used as an indicator species for the effects of post-fire forest management. Between 2011 and 2018, we located and monitored 118 Black-backed Woodpecker nests in burned forests of northern California. We evaluated the influence of habitat and nest characteristics on nest site selection and daily nest survival. Our results demonstrate a pattern of neutral congruence between habitat selection and fitness. Black-backed Woodpeckers showed strong selection for each of the nest habitat variables that we measured: woodpeckers selected moderately sized trees in areas of high snag density burned at high severity, but also in areas relatively close to low-severity or unburned edges. However, only nest initiation date affected nest survival, with decreased survival in late-season nests. Our results suggest that management actions aimed at maintaining breeding habitat for Black-backed Woodpeckers should prioritize retention and creation of pyrodiverse landscapes that include dense stands of snags (>5 snags per 100 m2) within ~500 m of forest that burned at low severity or remained unburned.

Nestling provisioning behavior of Black‐backed Woodpeckers in post‐fire forest

“…2018), breeding pairs were still present at moderate densities during our study (Stillman et al. 2019a). Our study was conducted on portions of public land that had not been subject to clear‐cut post‐fire logging, but some of the study area was adjacent to private lands that had been logged within two years after the fire.…”

“…2015, Stillman et al. 2019a). In the western United States, these woodpeckers are most often observed in areas after recent stand‐replacing fires (Hutto 2008).…”

“…These woodpeckers forage primarily on arthropods associated with dead wood, particularly the larvae of woodboring beetles that thrive in dead and dying trees after a fire (Beal 1911, Murphy and Lehnhausen 1998), and they show strong selection for dead trees when excavating nest cavities (Nappi and Drapeau 2011, Stillman et al. 2019a). In post‐fire areas of the western United States, nest densities typically peak 4–5 years following a fire, after which availability of beetle prey typically declines (Tingley et al.…”

Fire and climate change: conserving seasonally dry forests is still possible

“…Even post‐fire specialists like the black‐backed woodpecker ( Picoides arcticus ), which is a focal species in the management of seasonally dry forests, appear to benefit from a mosaic of patches burned at different severities and may be adversely affected by large, homogeneous, high‐severity “megafires” (Stillman et al . ,b). Although concerns about degradation of habitat quality for species that depend on complex canopied forests, such as the spotted owl ( Strix occidentalis ), have slowed the pace of forest restoration in the western US (Stephens et al .…”

Tree Use, Niche Breadth and Overlap for Excavation by Woodpeckers in Subtropical Piedmont Forests of Northwestern Argentina

“…Consequently, bird species may differ in their selection of tree species (Politi et al 2009, Cockle et al 2011, Lorenz et al 2015, Ruggera et al 2016. The selection of different types of substrate (and their characteristics) might turn certain wood-peckers´ species into specialists for excavating (Nappi & Drapeau 2009, Stillman et al 2019. Hence, information on cavity tree use may be essential to propose guidelines for the conservation and management of forest´s bird species (Lindenmayer et al 2000, Marzluff et al 2004, Manly et al 2007.…”