SREL Reprint #2939

Monitoring interactions between red-cockaded woodpeckers and southern flying squirrels

Thomas S. Risch1 and Susan C. Loeb2

1Department of Biological Sciences, Arkansas State University, State University, AR 72467-0599
2USDA Forest Service, Southern Research Station, Department of Forest Resources, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634

Abstract: Although several studies have suggested that southern flying squirrels (Glaucomys volans) may have a significant negative impact on red-cockaded woodpeckers (Picoides borealis) (Loeb and Hooper 1997, Laves and Loeb 1999), the nature of the interactions between the species remains unclear. Particularly lacking are data that address if southern flying squirrels directly usurp red-cockaded woodpeckers from cavities, or simply occupy cavities previously abandoned by red-cockaded woodpeckers. Ridley et al. (1997) observed the displacement of red-cockaded woodpecker by a southern flying squirrel that was released after being captured. Observations of nocturnal displacements of red-cockaded woodpeckers by flying squirrels, however, are lacking. Due to the difficulty of observing interspecific interactions, determining the mechanisms by which flying squirrels impact red-cockaded woodpeckers is problematic.

Keywords: cavity nesters, Glaucomys volans, Picoides borealis, red-cockaded woodpecker, species interactions, southern flying squirrel

SREL Reprint #2939

Risch, T. S., and S. C. Loeb. 2004. Monitoring interactions between red-cockaded woodpeckers and southern flying squirrels. pp. 504-505 In R. Costa, S. Daniels, H.B. Fokidis, and L. Hodgens (Eds.). Red-cockaded woodpecker: Road to recovery, Hancock House Publishers, WA.

This information was provided by the University of Georgia's Savannah River Ecology Laboratory (srel.uga.edu).