Melanerpes lewis

BREEDING: Open forest and woodland, often logged or burned, including oak, coniferous forest (primarily ponderosa pine [PINUS PONDEROSA], riparian woodland and orchards, less commonly in pinyon-juniper (PINUS spp.-JUNIPERUS spp.; AOU 1983). Distribution closely associated with open ponderosa pine forest in western North America, and is strongly associated with fire-maintained old-growth ponderosa pine (Diem and Zeveloff 1980, Tobalske 1997, Saab and Dudley 1998).

Important habitat features include an open tree canopy, a brushy understory with ground cover, dead trees for nest cavities; dead or downed woody debris, perch sites, and abundant insects. Uses open ponderosa pine forests, open riparian woodlands dominated by cottonwood (POPULUS spp.), and logged or burned pine. Also uses oak (QUERCUS spp.) woodlands, orchards, pinyon-juniper woodlands, other open coniferous forests, and agricultural lands. Apparently prefers open ponderosa pine at high elevations and open riparian forests at lower elevations (Bock 1970, Tobalske 1997). In Blue Mountains, Oregon, showed a preference for open stands near water (Thomas et al. 1979). Because catches insects from air, perches near openings or in open canopy are important for foraging habitat (Bock 1970, Tobalske 1997).

Often use burned pine forests, although suitability of postfire habitats varies with the age, size, and intensity of the burn, density of remaining snags, and the geographic region. Birds may move to unburned stands once young fledge (Block and Brennan 1987, Tobalske 1997, Saab and Dudley 1998). Have been generally considered a species of older burns rather than new ones, moving in several years post-fire once dead trees begin to fall and brush develops, five to thirty years after fire (Bock 1970, Block and Brennan 1987, Caton 1996, Linder and Anderson 1998). However, on a two- to four-year-old burn in Idaho it was the most common cavity-nester, and occurred in highest nesting densities ever recorded for the species (Saab and Dudley 1998). As habitat suitability declines, however, numbers decline. For example, in Wyoming, was more common in a seven-year-old burn than in a twenty-year-old burn (Linder and Anderson 1998). Overall, suitable conditions include an open canopy, availability of nest cavities and perches, abundant arthropod prey, and a shrubby understory (Linder and Anderson 1998, Saab and Dudley 1998).

NESTING: Unlike other woodpeckers, is not morphologically well-adapted to excavate cavities in hard wood. Tends to nest in a natural cavity, abandoned northern flicker (COLAPTES AURATUS) hole, or previously used cavity, 1-52 meters above ground. Sometimes will excavate a new cavity in a soft snag (standing dead tree), dead branch of a living tree, or rotting utility pole (Harrison 1979, Tobalske 1997). Mated pair may return to the same nest site in successive years. On partially-logged burns with high nesting densities in Idaho, nest sites were characterized by the presence of large, soft snags and an average of 62 snags per hectare that had more than 23 centimeter dbh (Saab and Dudley 1998).

NON-BREEDING: In late summer, wandering flocks move from valleys into mountains or from breeding habitat to orchards. In winter, uses oak woodlands, nut and fruit orchards. An important habitat feature in many wintering areas is the availability of storage sites for grains or mast, such as tree bark (e.g. bark of mature cottonwood trees) or power poles with dessication cracks (Bock 1970, Tobalske 1997). In southwestern Arizona and southeastern California, may use scrub oak, pecan orchards, and cottonwoods, but more study is needed in this area (Bock 1970). In Mexico, uses open and semi-open woodlands, especially those with oaks (Howell and Webb 1995).

May compete with acorn woodpeckers (MELANERPES FORMICIVORUS) for acorn crop (Terres 1980). Will aggressively defend food caches from all comers. Territorial in immediate space around nest sites toward Red-headed Woodpeckers (MELANERPES ERYTHROCEPHALUS) and other Lewis's Woodpeckers; however, may nest semi-gregariously where several nest cavities are close together (Bock 1970, Bock et al. 1971, Tobalske 1997). Breeding season territories reported to vary between 1 and 6 hectares in the Blue Mountains of Washington and Oregon (Thomas et al. 1979). Foraging home ranges broadly overlap and large numbers of birds may forage together where there is a local abundance of food (Tobalske 1997). Local areas of higher abundance occur in northern Arizona, Washington, Oregon and northern California in summer (Sauer et al. 1997); California, Arizona and northern New Mexico in winter (Sauer et al. 1996).

Life-long pair bond. Clutch size is five to nine (usually six to seven). Incubation, by both sexes, lasts 13-14 days. Young can fly 28-34 days after hatching (Terres 1980, Ehrlich et al. 1988).