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Photo © Dave Menke
Red-headed Woodpecker (Melanerpes erythrocephalus), a Special Concern species in Wisconsin, is a medium-sized woodpecker with a bright red hood and glossy black upperparts that contrast with a white body and wing patches. This species favors open upland sites with scattered trees, such as oak and pine savannas or treerows in agricultural areas, and, to a lesser extent, lowland forests. As a cavity nester, key habitat elements include large snags and dead limbs. The recommended avoidance period is May 10 - August 15. See the species guidance document for avoidance measures and management guidance from the Natural Heritage Conservation Program.
The table below provides information about the protected status - both state and federal - and the rank (S and G Ranks) for Red-headed Woodpecker (Melanerpes erythrocephalus). See the Working List Key for more information about abbreviations. Counties shaded blue have documented occurrences for this species in the Wisconsin Natural Heritage Inventory database. The map is provided as a general reference of where occurrences of this species meet NHI data standards and is not meant as a comprehensive map of all observations.
Note: Species recently added to the NHI Working List may temporarily have blank occurrence maps.
| Summary Information | |
|---|---|
| State Status | SC/M |
| Federal Status in Wisconsin | none |
| State Rank | S3B |
| Global Rank | G5 |
| Tracked by NHI | Y |
| WWAP | SGCN |
This document contains identification and life history information for Red-headed Woodpecker. It also describes how to screen projects for potential impacts to this species, lists avoidance measures, and provides general management guidance.
Red-headed Woodpecker Species Guidance [PDF]
Click to view a larger version. Please considering donating a photo to the Natural Heritage Conservation Program for educational uses. Photo use
Photo © Dave Menke.
Though still widespread and locally common in southern and central WI, Red-headed Woodpecker populations, strongly associated with oak savannas, have declined in recent decades.
Photo © Tom Schultz.
The table below lists the natural communities that are associated with Red-headed Woodpecker. Only natural communities for which Red-headed Woodpecker is "high" (score=3) or "moderate" (score=2) associated are shown. See the key to association scores for complete definitions. Please see the Wildlife Action Plan to learn how this information was developed.
| Natural community | Score |
|---|---|
| Oak Opening | 3 |
| Oak Woodland | 3 |
| Southern Dry-mesic Forest | 3 |
| Central Sands Pine - Oak Forest | 2 |
| Floodplain Forest | 2 |
| Oak Barrens | 2 |
| Pine Barrens | 2 |
| Southern Dry Forest | 2 |
The table below lists the ecological landscape association scores for Red-headed Woodpecker. The scores correspond to the map (3=High, 2=Moderate, 1=Low, 0=None). For more information, please see the Wildlife Action Plan.
Ecological priorities are the combinations of natural communities and ecological landscapes that provide Wisconsin's best opportunities to conserve important habitats for a given Species of Greatest Conservation Need. The 10 highest scoring combinations are considered ecological priorities and are listed below. More than 10 combinations are listed if multiple combinations tied for 10th place. For more information, please see the Wildlife Action Plan.
* Ecological priority score is a relative measure that is not meant for comparison between species. This score does not consider socio-economical factors that may dictate protection and/or management priorities differently than those determined solely by ecological analysis. Further, a low ecological priority score does not imply that management or preservation should not occur on a site if there are important reasons for doing so locally.
Conservation actions respond to issues or threats, which adversely affect species of greatest conservation need (SGCN) or their habitats. Besides actions such as restoring wetlands or planting resilient tree species in northern communities, research, surveys and monitoring are also among conservation actions described in the WWAP because lack of information can threaten our ability to successfully preserve and care for natural resources.