Nesting hole site selection by the Syrian Woodpecker, Dendrocopos syriacus, in Yazd province, Iran

Abstract

We studied the selection of nesting sites by the Syrian Woodpecker, Dendrocopos syriacus (Hemprich & Ehrenberg), in a forest oasis in semi-arid central Iran. Habitat variables such as tree height, tree diameter and canopy cover of nesting trees were compared with randomly selected non-used trees. The results showed that, in spite of the availability of different tree species in the study area such as Mountain Almond (Amygdalus scoparia), Montpellier Maple (Acer cinerascens) and Pistachio tree (Pistachia atlantica), only Pistachio trees were used for nest hole construction. The most important factors influencing nesting hole site selection were tree species and their diameter at breast height (DBH). The mean DBH of 40 Pistachio trees selected by Syrian Woodpeckers was 1.26 m, which was significantly larger than that of the non-selected Pistachio trees (1.10 m) (P<0.05). The canopy cover of the selected trees (2.65 m2) was also significantly higher compared with the control trees (2.41 m2) (P<0.04).