The red-cockaded woodpecker (Leuconotopicus borealis ) is a woodpecker endemic to the southeastern United States.
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DiurnalDiurnal animals are active during the daytime, with a period of sleeping or other inactivity at night. The timing of activity by an animal depends ...
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CrepuscularCrepuscular animals are those that are active primarily during twilight (that is, the periods of dawn and dusk). This is distinguished from diurnal...
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CarnivoreA carnivore meaning 'meat eater' is an organism that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of a...
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InsectivoresAn insectivore is a carnivorous plant or animal that eats insects. An alternative term is entomophage, which also refers to the human practice of e...
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FrugivoreA frugivore is an animal that thrives mostly on raw fruits or succulent fruit-like produce of plants such as roots, shoots, nuts, and seeds. Approx...
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GranivoreSeed predation, often referred to as granivory, is a type of plant-animal interaction in which granivores (seed predators) feed on the seeds of pla...
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HerbivoreA herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically adapted to eating plant material, for example, foliage, for the main component of its die...
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OmnivoreAn omnivore is an animal that has the ability to eat and survive on both plant and animal matter. Obtaining energy and nutrients from plant and ani...
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VermivorousVermivore (from Latin vermi, meaning "worm" and vorare, "to devour") is a zoological term for animals that eat worms (including annelids, nematodes...
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ArborealArboreal locomotion is the locomotion of animals in trees. In habitats in which trees are present, animals have evolved to move in them. Some anima...
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AltricialAltricial animals are those species whose newly hatched or born young are relatively immobile. They lack hair or down, are not able to obtain food ...
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NomadicNomadic animals regularly move to and from the same areas within a well-defined range. Most animals travel in groups in search of better territorie...
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TerritorialA territory is a sociographical area that which an animal consistently defends against the conspecific competition (or, occasionally, against anima...
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
Oviparous animals are female animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive...
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MonogamyMonogamy is a form of relationship in which both the male and the female has only one partner. This pair may cohabitate in an area or territory for...
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ColonialColonial animals live in large aggregations composed of two or more conspecific individuals in close association with or connected to, one another....
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Not a migrantAnimals that do not make seasonal movements and stay in their native home ranges all year round are called not migrants or residents.
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starts withRed-cockaded woodpeckers are rare forest birds native to the southeastern United States. Their back is barred with black and white horizontal stripes. The most distinguishing feature of these woodpeckers is a black cap and nape that encircle large white cheek patches. Rarely visible, except perhaps during the breeding season and periods of territorial defense, the males have a small red streak on each side of their black cap called a 'cockade', hence their name.
Historically, Red-cockaded woodpeckers' range extended in the southeastern United States from Florida to New Jersey and Maryland, as far west as eastern Texas and Oklahoma, and inland to Missouri, Kentucky, and Tennessee. Today they occur from Florida to Virginia and west to southeast Oklahoma and eastern Texas. Red-cockaded woodpeckers make their home in fire-dependent pine forests. Longleaf pines are most commonly preferred, but other species of southern pine are also acceptable.
Red-cockaded woodpeckers are non-migratory territorial birds. They live in family groups which include a breeding pair, their offspring, and helpers. They spend the day foraging in groups and roost at night alone, each family member in its own cavity. Red-cockaded woodpeckers prefer to forage on pines, with a strong preference for large trees, though they will occasionally forage on hardwoods and even on corn earworms in cornfields. In order to reach food, they will walk, hop, and climb between the tree branches. When not feeding Red-cockaded woodpeckers spend their time preening, stretching, bathing, and sunbathing.
Red-cockaded woodpeckers are carnivores (insectivores). They feed mainly on ants, beetles, cockroaches, caterpillars, wood-boring insects, and spiders, and occasionally fruit and berries.
Red-cockaded woodpeckers are monogamous and frequently have the same mate for several years. They are cooperative breeders; there is only one pair of breeding birds within each group, and they normally only raise a single brood each year. The other group members, called helpers, usually males from the previous breeding season, help incubate the eggs and raise the young. The nesting season of these birds runs from April to June. The breeding female lays 3 to 4 eggs in the breeding male's roost cavity. Group members incubate the small white eggs for 10-13 days. Once hatched, the chicks remain in the nest cavity for about 26-29 days. Upon fledging, the young often remain with the parents, forming groups of up to nine or more members, but more typically three to four members. Juvenile females generally leave the group before the next breeding season, in search of solitary male groups.
The main threat to Red-cockaded woodpeckers is the loss of their native habitat through fragmentation. When a larger cluster of birds gets split up, it is difficult for the young to find mates and eventually becomes an issue regarding species dispersal. While dispersing in search of new places to settle, Red-cockaded woodpeckers often face habitats of competing other woodpecker species.
According to the IUCN Red List, the total Red-cockaded woodpecker population size is around 10,000-19,999 mature individuals, assumed to be equivalent to 15,000-30,000 individuals in total. Currently, this species is classified as Near Threatened (NT) on the IUCN Red List and its numbers today are decreasing.
Red-cockaded woodpeckers play a vital role in the intricate web of life of the southern pine forests. A number of other birds and small mammals use the cavities excavated by Red-cockaded woodpeckers, such as chickadees, bluebirds, titmice, and several other woodpecker species, including the Downy, Hairy, and Red-bellied woodpeckers. Larger woodpeckers such as Northern flicker, Red-bellied, or Pileated woodpecker may take over a Red-cockaded woodpecker cavity, sometimes enlarging the hole enough to allow Eastern screech owls, Wood ducks, and even raccoons to move in later. Flying squirrels, several species of reptiles and amphibians, and insects, primarily bees and wasps, also will use Red-cockaded woodpecker cavities.
Social animals are those animals that interact highly with other animals, usually of their own species (conspecifics), to the point of having a rec...