PILEATED WOODPECKER DAMAGE TO RED-COCKADED WOODPECKER CAVITY TREES INEASTERN TEXAS

We surveyed all known Red-cockaded Woodpecker (Picoides borealis) cavi ty trees (n = 514) in the Angelina National Forest in eastern Texas fo r Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus) damage. We compared the fre quency of Pileated Woodpecker damage to Red-cockaded Woodpecker cavity trees in longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) habitat to damage in lobloll y (P. taeda)-shortleaf (P. echinata) pine habitat. We also examined th e effectiveness of restrictor plates in deterring Pileated Woodpecker enlargement of Red-cockaded Woodpecker cavities. Pileated Woodpecker d amage was significantly greater in longleaf pine habitat than in the l oblolly-shortleaf pine habitat in spite of census results showing simi lar abundance levels of Pileated Woodpeckers in the two forest types. We suggest that limited numbers of snags in the longleaf habitat may f ocus Pileated Woodpecker excavation on Red-cockaded Woodpecker cavity trees, whereas a greater amount of midstory vegetation in the loblolly -shortleaf pine habitat may serve to reduce visibility, thereby loweri ng Pileated Woodpecker detection and destruction of Red-cockaded Woodp ecker cavities. Restrictor plates were very effective in preventing Pi leated Woodpecker enlargement of cavities. While restrictor plates are useful for protecting Red-cockaded Woodpecker cavities, they should b e used only in small populations when cavities are in short supply. Th e Pileated Woodpecker plays an important role, especially in the longl eaf ecosystem which is a relatively cavity-barren environment, by prov iding nesting sites for larger secondary cavity users, such as America n Kestrels (Falco sparverius), Eastern Screech-Owls (Otus asio), and f ox squirrels (Sciurus niger).