HOME-RANGE SIZE AND FORAGING HABITAT OF RED-COCKADED WOODPECKERS IN THE OUACHITA MOUNTAINS OF ARKANSAS

We obtained data for 23 habitat characteristics from plots at foraging sites of five groups of Red-cockaded Woodpeckers (Picoides borealis) and compared to randomly selected plots. Five groups occupied an avera ge home range size of 24.82 ha. The birds foraged mainly in large pine s having high crown volume and a long exposed bole. Foraging birds als o favored stands with little understory and open spacing between forag ing trees and neighboring ones. Shortleaf pine (Pinus echinata) was us ed in foraging 95% of the time over hardwoods. Woodpecker home range s izes in this shortleaf pine habitat were much smaller than in other ty pes of forests. This may be due to the physical attributes of shortlea f pines combined with the ridged topography of the Ouachita Mountains. The vegetational requirements for foraging stressed the largest pines , open forest, and reduced hardwood understory, thus agreeing with oth er foraging studies of Red-cockaded Woodpeckers.