Birds
Red-cockaded Woodpecker
Dryobates borealis · also called red-cockaded woodpeckers
Drilling small wells that ooze sticky pine resin around its nest entrance, a red-cockaded woodpecker builds a defence against climbing snakes unlike anything else in the woodpecker family, choosing to carve its home into living pine rather than dead wood.
Overview
The red-cockaded woodpecker, Dryobates borealis, is a small, cooperatively breeding woodpecker native to mature pine forest habitat across parts of the southeastern United States. Its highly unusual habit of nesting in living trees, resin-well defence against predators, and cooperative family structure make it one of the most behaviourally distinctive and conservation-significant woodpeckers found anywhere in North America.
A home carved from living wood
Choosing to excavate a nest cavity in a living pine tree rather than dead wood sets the red-cockaded woodpecker apart from nearly every other woodpecker, a slow, resin-defended construction project that can take years to complete.
Status
Near Threatened, having stabilised in parts of its range following decades of dedicated habitat management, though it remains dependent on increasingly rare mature pine forest.
Red-cockaded Woodpecker: common questions
Why is it unusual for the red-cockaded woodpecker to nest in living trees?
This species is one of the only woodpeckers that excavates its nest cavity in a living tree rather than dead or dying wood, an unusual choice that requires years of drilling since living pine wood is far harder to work than decaying timber.
Why does the red-cockaded woodpecker drill resin wells?
This species drills small wells around its nest cavity entrance that ooze sticky pine resin, a defence that helps deter climbing predators such as snakes from reaching eggs or chicks inside.
Does the red-cockaded woodpecker raise its young alone?
Not always, since this species practises cooperative breeding, with grown offspring from previous years often remaining to help raise the next brood rather than dispersing immediately.
Why is the red-cockaded woodpecker considered Near Threatened?
This species depends heavily on mature, old-growth pine forest for its slow-to-excavate nest cavities, a habitat that has become increasingly rare despite decades of dedicated conservation management.