Red-headed Woodpecker Minnesota Conservation Plan Audubon Minnesota Spring 2014 The Blueprint for Minnesota Bird Conservation is a project of Audubon Minnesota written by Lee A. Pfannmuller ([email protected]) and funded by the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund. For further information please contact Mark Martell at [email protected](651-739-9332). Credit: Jim Williams
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Red-headed Woodpecker
Minnesota Conservation Plan
Audubon Minnesota
Spring 2014
The Blueprint for Minnesota Bird Conservation is a project of Audubon Minnesota written by Lee A.
Pfannmuller ([email protected]) and funded by the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund.
For further information please contact Mark Martell at [email protected] (651-739-9332).
Status ......................................................................................................................................................... 5
Legal Status ........................................................................................................................................... 5
Other Status Classifications .................................................................................................................. 5
Range ........................................................................................................................................................ 6
Historical Breeding Range .................................................................................................................... 6
Current Breeding Range........................................................................................................................ 6
Summary of Presence on Minnesota Important Bird Areas (IBA): ...................................................... 6
Population Numbers .................................................................................................................................. 9
National ................................................................................................................................................. 9
Population Trends ................................................................................................................................... 11
National Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) Data ....................................................................................... 11
Regional BBS Population Trends ....................................................................................................... 11
Minnesota BBS Data ........................................................................................................................... 11
Life History Characteristics Relevant to Recovery ................................................................................. 12
Concern and Regional Concern Species; Recommended Action: Management (Rich et al. 2004).
Partners in Flight (PIF) Bird Conservation Region 22 (Eastern Tallgrass Prairie): Continental
Concern and Regional Concern Species and Regional Stewardship Species; Recommended
Action: Immediate Management (Rich et al. 2004).
Partners in Flight (PIF) Bird Conservation Region 23 (Prairie Hardwood Transition): Continental
Concern and Regional Concern Species; Recommended Action: Immediate Management (Rich
et al. 2004).
3. Minnesota
Species in Greatest Conservation Need in Minnesota (Minnesota Department of Natural
Resources 2006); the list is being revised and updated for the 2015 Wildlife Action Plan revision
and the Red-headed Woodpecker remains on the list.
Audubon Minnesota’s Action List (Audubon Minnesota 2008).
Range
Historical Breeding Range: The species occurs throughout the eastern United States, west through the
Great Plains to central Montana, Wyoming, eastern Colorado, New Mexico and Texas, and north to the
southern regions of the eastern Canadian provinces (Figure 1).
Variations in the species abundance over the past 200 years were thought to be influenced during the non-
breeding season by variations in the nut crops of northern beech forests (which are no longer present to
the same extent today). Today, variations in the species abundance may be influenced by variations in the
abundance of acorns (Smith et al. 2000). In Minnesota, the species historically occurred throughout much
of the state, although it was most abundant in the southern half and absent in the northeast region.
In Minnesota, Roberts (1932) reported that the species bred throughout the state but was most abundant in
the southern half.
Current Breeding Range: The species national range has contracted in Ontario and is now restricted to the
extreme southern region of the province. It has also disappeared from much of New England and into
Labrador (Smith et al. 2000). The geographical extent of its range in Minnesota has not changed
noticeably.
Summary of Presence on Minnesota Important Bird Areas (IBA): Among Minnesota’s 57 Important Bird
Areas (IBAs) Red-headed Woodpeckers have been reported from 47 and have been documented nesting
on 17 (Table 1). The Camp Ripley-Pillsbury-Lake Alexander IBA and the Carlos Avery IBA are the only
sites that have been surveyed intensively for Red-headed Woodpeckers and are known to support at least
20 pairs.
Page 7 of 31 | Audubon Minnesota
Table 1. Minnesota’s Important Bird Areas with Confirmed Nesting Red-headed Woodpeckers
Camp Ripley-Pillsbury-Lake
Alexander
Kittson-Roseau-Aspen Parklands Thief Lake
Carlos Avery Lac Qui Parle-Big Stone Twin Cities Mississippi River
Chippewa Plains Murphy Hanrehan Park Vermillion Bottoms-Lower Cannon
River
Des Moines River Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge Voyaguers-Kabetogama
Heron Lake St. Croix-Greater Wild River Whitewater Valleys
Kettle River-Banning State Park Superior National Forest
Page 8 of 31 | Audubon Minnesota
Figure 1. Red-headed Woodpecker Distribution Maps
Birds of North
America
MN BBA 2014 Map
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Page 9 of 31 | Audubon Minnesota
Population Numbers
National
In 2004, the U.S. and Canada population estimate was 2,500,000 (Rich et al. 2004); in 2012 the U.S.
and Canada population estimate was less than half that number at 1,200,000 (Partners in Flight
Science Committee 2013).
A small percentage of this difference can be attributed to changes in the model used to establish
population estimates in 2004 for all landbirds monitored by the Breeding Bird Survey. A description
of the original model can be found in Rosenberg and Blancher (2005) and Blancher et al. (2007).
Janet Ruth, a biologist with the U.S. Geological Survey in Fort Collins, is preparing a Status
Assessment and Conservation Plan for the Grasshopper Sparrow (Ruth, in preparation). In the draft
document she provides an excellent summary of the model changes that have been employed to
update the population estimates for all landbirds in 2012:
The methodology for these initial PIF landbird population estimates are described in Rosenberg
and Blancher (2005). Several evaluations (Thogmartin et al. 2006) and tests of assumptions have
been conducted since the initial results were published in Rich et al. (2004). Thogmartin et al.
(2006) expressed concerns about the biases related to sampling by BBS, on which most of the
population estimates were based, as well as the inadequacy of the adjustment factors: pair,
detection, and time-of-day adjustments, and made recommendations regarding how to address
these issues and improve the estimates.
A sensitivity analysis of the estimation methods concluded that the most efficient means of
improving the estimates would be to address distance detection, time-of-day adjustments, and
variability in BBS count data (Thogmartin 2010). Field tests of detection distances have found
that detection distances and detection efficiencies assumed by Rosenberg and Blancher (2005)
were too high and concluded that the result was substantial underestimates for populations of
some groups of landbirds (Confer et al. 2008; Hamel et al. 2009).
In response to reviews and publications, PIF has revised the population estimation methodology;
(1) detection distance categories assigned to species have been revised using additional data and
more refined distance categories, (2) instead of using a standard pair adjustment of 2X, species
are now assigned to one of five different categories between 1.0 and 2.0, and (3) time-of-day
adjustments have been revised in response to suggestions in Thogmartin et al. (2006).
The adjustment factors used in the Red-headed Woodpecker model are shown in Table 2. The
adjustments for detection distance and pairs were not changed; only the time of day adjustment was
revised a small amount. The latter adjustment is an attempt to account for how a species detectability
changes over the course of the 4-5 morning hours when the Breeding Bird Survey is conducted.
Thrushes, for example, are heard more often at pre-dawn/dawn and woodpeckers usually later in the
morning. The result of changing the Time of Day adjustment slightly downward is to reduce the
overall population slightly. However, this small change does not fully account for the significant
decline in the Red-headed Woodpeckers North American population. The woodpecker’s decline
appears to be due largely to habitat loss and degradation, although the exact factors responsible
warrant investigation (Smith et al. 2000).
Page 10 of 31 | Audubon Minnesota
Table 2. Adjustment Factors used for the Red-headed Woodpecker Population Estimate
Year Detection Distance Pair Adjustment Time of Day Adjustment
2004 200 meters 1.25 1.25
2012 200 meters 1.25 1.19
Continental Population Objective: Increase 100% (Rich et al. 2004).
The relative abundance of Red-headed Woodpeckers during the summer, based on Federal Breeding
Bird Survey results from 2006-2012, is illustrated below (Sauer et al. 2014).
Figure 2. Relative Abundance of the Red-headed Woodpecker in North America (2006-2012)
Regional
Approximately 12% of the population occurs in the Prairie Pothole Joint Venture Region (Casey
2005).
Current estimate of population in UMVGL JV region: 968,500; the JV target is 1,937,000; the JV
(Potter et al. 2007); this estimate is derived using the 2004 population data.
Minnesota
2004 Estimates (derived using data from the Breeding Bird Survey and available as an archived file
on the Partners in Flight Population Estimates Database, PIF Science Committee 2013).
Estimated Minnesota population: 94,000 Target (increase 100%) is 190,000
Estimated MN population in BCR11 (Prairie Potholes): 48,000; target is 96,000
Estimated MN population in BCR12 (Boreal Hardwood Transition): 4,800; target is 9,600
Estimated MN population in BCR22 (Eastern Tallgrass Prairie): 9,100; target is 18,000
Estimated MN population in BCR23 (Prairie Hardwood Transition: 32,000; target is 64,000
Page 11 of 31 | Audubon Minnesota
2012 Estimates (derived using data from the Breeding Bird Survey and available on the Partners in
Flight Population Estimates Database, PIF Science Committee 2013).
Estimated Minnesota population: 20,000 (note: in the PIF database the regional totals slightly
exceed the state total)
Estimated MN population in Bird Conservation Region 11 (Prairie Potholes): 14,000
Estimated MN population in Bird Conservation Region 12 (Boreal Hardwood Transition): 2,000
Estimated MN population in Bird Conservation Region 22 (Eastern Tallgrass Prairie): 1,500
Estimated MN population in Bird Conservation Region 23 (Prairie Hardwood Transition): 7,000
Minnesota does not have one of the highest centers of the species abundance.
Approximately 4.95% of the Red-headed Woodpecker’s breeding range occurs in MN; in 2012, 1.6%
of its’ 2012 global population occurs in Minnesota (down from 3.7% in 2004).
Population Trends
National Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) Data (U.S. and Canada, Sauer et al. 2014)
Blue level of credibility (data of moderate precision; http://www.mbr-
pwrc.usgs.gov/bbs/credhm09.html).
1966-2012: a statistically significant decreasing trend of -2.6% per year; 2002-2012: decreasing trend
of -0.6% per year.
Regional BBS Population Trends (Sauer et al. 2014)
The species has also declined significantly since 1966 and in the past ten years (2002-2012) in many
Midwestern states including Iowa, Michigan, Missouri, Illinois and Wisconsin.
Regionally, the Red-headed Woodpecker demonstrates annual population trends shown in Table 3.
Table 3. Red-headed Woodpecker Regional Population Trends
1 Precise definition for each credibility level can be found at: http://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/bbs/credhm09.html. 2 Reflects data of moderate precision 3 Reflects data with an important deficiency because species has a low abundance, small sample size, and/or the
results cannot detect a 5% per year change in population.
Minnesota BBS Data (Sauer et al. 2014)
The Breeding Bird survey data for Minnesota has a Blue level of credibility (moderate precision).
The data document a statistically significant decline of -6.3% per year from 1966-2012, as well as a
decline of-5.5% per year from 2002-2012.
The only species monitored by the Breeding Bird Survey that declined more in the past ten years
(2002-2012) are: the Ruffed Grouse (-7.5%); Black-crowned Night-Heron (-5.6%); Grasshopper
Sparrow (-9.2%), Western Meadowlark (-8.2%) and Yellow-headed Blackbird (-5.7%).
Region Credibility
Level1
1966-2012 Statistically
Significant
2002-2012 Statistically
Significant
Prairie Potholes Moderate2 -2.74% per year Yes -1.03% per year Yes
Prairie Hardwood
Transition Moderate -5.21% per year Yes -3.66% per year Yes
Assist the Red-headed Woodpecker Recovery Team identify Red-headed Woodpecker breeding
clusters, particularly on nearby IBAs that are known to support Red-headed Woodpeckers. (e.g.
the St. Cloud Chapter at Sherburne NWR and the Wild River Chapter at the St. Croix – Great
River IBA).
Educate local landowners where clusters exist on best management practices using information
prepared by the Minnesota Red-headed Woodpecker Recovery Project.
Additional actions are detailed in Table 5.
Page 22 of 31 | Audubon Minnesota
Table 5. Red-headed Woodpecker Minnesota Conservation Implementation Plan
Conservation Goal: Maintain a statewide population of Red-headed Woodpeckers of at least 40,000 birds through effective and efficient habitat conservation of
Minnesota’s endangered oak savanna habitat and support the Audubon Chapter of Minneapolis’s Red-headed Woodpecker Recovery Project
(http://www.RedheadRecovery.org).
Conservation Objective: Initiate conservation actions designed to halt the decline of Minnesota’s Red-headed Woodpecker population and monitor the
effectiveness of those actions by increasing the population annually by an average of 2.5% per year over a 30 year period.
Action Priority Projected
Timeline
Responsible Entity Others Involved
Inventory and Assessment
Identify if there are additional cluster areas for Red-headed
Woodpeckers in the eastern region of Minnesota beyond the seven
already identified by the Red-headed Woodpecker Recovery
Project.
#1 Ongoing Red-headed Woodpecker
Recovery Project
Minnesota Audubon
Identify Important Bird Areas that are a priority for this species in
Minnesota (Four IBAs are a priority for further investigation).
#2 2015-16 Minnesota Audubon Local Audubon
Chapters
Monitoring
Work with the Minnesota Ornithologists Union (MOU) to ensure
that all 82 of Minnesota’s BBS routes are surveyed each year.
#9 2014-2015 Minnesota Ornithologists Union MN Audubon, DNR
Habitat Protection
Protect the species current habitat of approximately 2,667 km2
(659,030 acres) in Minnesota’s Prairie Hardwood Transition
Region (Eastern Broadleaf Forest Province).
#6 Ongoing Minnesota Department of
Natural Resources
Minnesota Audubon,
U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, University
Conduct a threats and opportunities analysis on Important Bird
Areas that support the largest populations of Red-headed
Woodpeckers in Minnesota.
#3 2016 Minnesota Audubon IBA land owners
Habitat Restoration and Management
On appropriate sites work with conservation partners to
restore/enhance 2,667 km2 (659,030 acres) of oak savanna habitat
within the Prairie Hardwood Transition Region (Eastern Broadleaf