United States Department of Agriculture Conservation Assessment Forest Service for the Woodpeckers in the Rocky Mountain Region Black Hills National Forest Black Hills National South Dakota and Wyoming Forest Custer, South Dakota April 2003 Tamara Anderson Conservation Assessment of Woodpeckers in the Black Hills National Forest South Dakota and Wyoming Tamara Anderson, Ph.D. Tamara Anderson is a biological consultant in Newcastle, Wyoming. In addition to consulting, she has also served as a Research Associate and Adjunct Professor at Black Hills State University in Spearfish, South Dakota. She received her B.A. in Biology at Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington, Illinois and her Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Iowa State University. Her interest in the woodpeckers of the Black Hills National Forest (BHNF) grew out of a study she is conducting on the BHNF to understand bird and invertebrate interactions, especially those related to forest edge habitat. 1 Table of Contents INTRODUCTION.........................................................................................................................................................1 BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER .................................................................... 4 INTRODUCTION.........................................................................................................................................................4 CURRENT MANAGEMENT SITUATION.................................................................................................................4 Management Status...................................................................................................................................................4 Existing Management Plans......................................................................................................................................4 REVIEW OF TECHNICAL KNOWLEDGE................................................................................................................5 Systematics/Taxonomy.............................................................................................................................................5 Distribution And Abundance....................................................................................................................................6 Distribution Recognized In Primary Literature (Overall Range) .........................................................................6 Additional Information (Local Distribution)........................................................................................................7 Estimates Of Local Abundance............................................................................................................................7 Population Trends.....................................................................................................................................................7 Movement Patterns ...................................................................................................................................................8 Habitat Characteristics..............................................................................................................................................8 General Habitat ....................................................................................................................................................8 Nesting Habitat...................................................................................................................................................10 Foraging Habitat.................................................................................................................................................12 Roost Habitat......................................................................................................................................................13 Food Habits.............................................................................................................................................................13 Prey Species .......................................................................................................................................................13 Characteristics Of Prey..................................................................................................................................14 Breeding Biology....................................................................................................................................................15 Phenology Of Courtship And Breeding .............................................................................................................15 Courtship Characteristics ...................................................................................................................................16 Clutch Initiation, Laying, And Size....................................................................................................................16 Parental Care......................................................................................................................................................16 Site And Mate Fidelity.......................................................................................................................................16 Demography ...........................................................................................................................................................16 Life History Characteristics ...............................................................................................................................16 Survival And Reproduction................................................................................................................................16 Social Pattern For Spacing .................................................................................................................................17 Local Density Estimates.....................................................................................................................................17 Limiting Factors.................................................................................................................................................17 Patterns Of Dispersal..........................................................................................................................................18 Community Ecology...............................................................................................................................................18 Predators.............................................................................................................................................................18 Competitors........................................................................................................................................................18 Parasites, Disease, Mutualistic Interactions .......................................................................................................19 Other Complex Interactions ...............................................................................................................................19 Risk Factors ............................................................................................................................................................19 Response To Habitat Changes ................................................................................................................................20 Management Activities ......................................................................................................................................20 Timber Harvest..............................................................................................................................................20 Recreation .....................................................................................................................................................22 Livestock Grazing .........................................................................................................................................22 Mining...........................................................................................................................................................22 Fire Suppression............................................................................................................................................22 Prescribed Fire...............................................................................................................................................22 Non-Native Plant Establishment And Control ..............................................................................................23 Fuelwood Harvest .........................................................................................................................................23 Insect Pest Control ........................................................................................................................................23 Natural Disturbance ...........................................................................................................................................23 i Insect Epidemics ...........................................................................................................................................23 Wildfire