Foraging ecology of the Williamson's Sapsucker: Implications for forest management

Abstract

ABSTRACT Williamson's Sapsuckers (Sphyrapicus thyroideus) are montane woodpeckers threatened by widespread tree removal activities and climate change. Current forest management plans focus on nesting trees, but the incorporation of foraging trees would lead to a more effective management strategy to mitigate habitat loss for this species. We investigated the selection of foraging trees in forests managed for timber extraction and maintenance of wildlife values using foraging observations of 27 radio-tagged adult Williamson's Sapsuckers during the breeding season in 2 regions (Okanagan and Western) of their limited Canadian range. Characteristics of foraging trees (88% of observations on live trees, 11% on dead trees) differed with foraging mode. Large, live Douglas-firs (Pseudotsuga menziesii; ≥22.5 cm dbh) were used for gleaning and sap feeding on tree trunks in both regions, whereas trees used for trunk pecking were mostly large, senescent western larches (Larix occidentalis) in the Okanagan region and ...