Ann. Zool. Fennici 51: 349–370 ISSN 0003-455X (print), ISSN 1797-2450 (online) Helsinki 29 August 2014 © Finnish Zoological and Botanical Publishing Board 2014 Evaluating habitat suitability for the middle spotted woodpecker using a predictive modelling approach Krystyna Stachura-Skierczyńska & Ziemowit Kosiński* Department of Avian Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Umultowska 89, PL-61-614 Poznań, Poland (*corresponding author’s e-mail:
[email protected]) Received 3 June 2013, final version received 1 Nov. 2013, accepted 28 Nov. 2013 Stachura-Skierczyńska, K. & Kosiński, Z. 2014: Evaluating habitat suitability for the middle spotted woodpecker using a predictive modelling approach. — Ann. Zool. Fennici 51: 349–370. This paper explores the influence of forest structural parameters on the abundance and distribution of potential habitats for the middle spotted woodpecker (Dendrocopos medius) in three different forest landscapes in Poland. We applied predictive habitat suitability models (MaxEnt) based on forest inventory data to identify key environ- mental variables that affect the occurrence of the species under varying habitat condi- tions and the spatial configuration of suitable habitats. All models had good discrimi- native ability as indicated by high AUC values (> 0.75). Our results show that the spe- cies exhibited a certain degree of flexibility in habitat use, utilizing other habitats than mature oak stands commonly associated with its occurrence. In areas where old oak- dominated stands are rare, alder bogs and species-rich deciduous forests containing other rough-barked tree species are important habitats. Habitat suitability models show that, besides tree species and age, an uneven stand structure was a significant predictor of the occurrence of middle spotted woodpecker.