Red-headed woodpecker (Melanerpes erythrocephalus) COSEWIC assessment and status report: chapter 10

Existing Protection or Other Status Designations

In Canada, the Red-headed Woodpecker, its nest, and its eggs are protected under the Migratory Birds Convention Act, 1994.

Globally, NatureServe (2006) considers this species to be secure (G5; Table 1). It is listed on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as Near Threatened (BirdLife International 2004). In the United States, this species is ranked as secure (NatureServe national conservation status ranks N5B and N5N; Table 1). The species is considered critically imperiled (S1) or imperiled (S2) in 7 states, vulnerable in 10 states, and apparently secure or secure in 18 states (NatureServe 2006). 

In Canada, the Red-headed Woodpecker has been designated Special Concern by COSEWIC (Page 1996). The General Status of Species in Canada gives the species an overall rank of 2 or May be at Risk in Canada. It assigns a rank of 2 for Red-headed Woodpeckers in SK, MB, ON and QC (CESCC 2006). NatureServe (2006) ranks its populations as apparently secure to vulnerable (Table 1). In Saskatchewan, NatureServe ranks the species as critically imperiled (Table 1). In that province, the species has no designated status (Saskatchewan Environment 2006). In Manitoba, NatureServe ranks the species as both vulnerable and apparently secure (NatureServe 2006; Table 1), but the species is not listed provincially (Manitoba Wildlands 2006). In Ontario, NatureServe ranks the species as vulnerable (Table 1). However, the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources has designated it a species of special concern (Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources 2005). In Quebec, NatureServe ranks the species as imperiled (Table 1), and it is on the list of vertebrate wildlife species that are “likely to be designated as threatened or vulnerable”since 1993 (Quebec Department of Natural Resources and Faune Québec 2006).

Partners in Flight (Rich et al. 2004) considers the Red-headed Woodpecker to be a species of national importance due to the past decline and future threats facing the species. In addition, there are management plans designed to double the size of the breeding populations in two avifaunal biomes: the Prairie Avifaunal Biome and the Eastern Avifaunal Biome (Rich et al. 2004). Partners in Flight has designated the species a species of regional importance in 18 bird conservation regions, including three regions in Canada (Prairie Potholes, Lower Great Lakes/St. Lawrence Plain, Boreal Hardwood Transition) (Rich et al. 2004).

Table 1. Ranks of the Red-headed Woodpecker in North Americaas assessed by NatureServe (2006)
Region Statustable notea
World G5
United States N5BN5N
Canada N3N4B
Saskatchewan S1B
Manitoba S2S3
Ontario S3B
Quebec S2

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