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Description
Please see my website: birdsofnovasola.blogspot.com/ for more information about this post and the project as a whole.

Regal Woodpecker, Picoides regalis L 20-23 cm, WS 40-42 cm, Family: Picidae



Description:

Small to medium sized woodpecker with a rounded head and long, straight, chisel like bill, roughly the same length as the head. Head intricately patterned with black and white striping, with a yellow crown outlined in white in males, fully white crown in females. Back barred black and white, wings black with faint white striping. Throat and undersides white, with dense black striping on belly and undertail coverts. Tail mostly black, with white outer feathers. Lacking fourth toe on each foot.

Voice:

Most common call is a clear, sharp pik. Will also give a mechanical-sounding alarm rattle or growl. Both sexes drum on trees throughout the year to establish territories, attract mates, communicate with mates, and intimidate threats. Drumming short and slow paced, usually deep and resonant.

Range and Habitat:

Generally uncommon, its range encompasses most of Novasola, excluding the interior steppe. Though they can be found in most forest ecosystems, including temperate rainforest, conifer, mixed, and deciduous forests, dry pine and juniper stands, and oak savannah, they prefer areas of frequent disturbance like wind events, logging, or wildfires. They may also be found in man-made habitats like yards, gardens, and parks but this is uncommon.

Discussion:

One of the rarer woodpeckers on Novasola, the Regal Woodpecker can be found in forests across the island, but is most associated with disturbances and wildfires and most abundant in post-fire burnt areas. This habitat preference makes them less commonly seen by humans, most of whom avoid these areas. Somewhat similar in appearance to the White-breasted Woodpecker, the Regal is best distinguished by its yellow crown in males from which it earns its name, or by its striped back and undersides in both sexes. The Regal Woodpecker is closely related to the American Three-toed Woodpecker and Black-backed Woodpecker of mainland North America.

The Regal Woodpecker, like most woodpeckers, forages by clinging to trees and hammering the wood with their chisel-like bill to form excavations. With these holes the woodpecker gains access to woodboring insects and other invertebrates, which it then extracts using its long, barbed tongue. Regals hunt mostly for beetle larvae inside burnt trees, but more generally they search for trees or logs with prior damage or holes in the bark. Once a damaged limb or trunk is found, they will probe the opening or hammer to create a new or expand an existing hole. The hammering of these holes creates a loud noise which can sometimes be heard for miles, and woodpeckers often hammer to purposefully produce that sound, which helps them communicate with other birds including mates and rivals.

Mostly solitary, Regal Woodpeckers only pair up during the breeding season, often with new individuals each year. During the nesting season they will excavate a cavity in deadwood in which to lay eggs. They typically have only one brood a year and lay 3-5 eggs. Outside the breeding season the woodpeckers again become solitary. They are quite mobile and will fly to new areas and establish new territories often. It is believed this behavior allows them to find and take advantage of newly disturbed or burnt forests. In regions where wildfires or other disturbances are less common and competition increases, Regal territories can become quite small with multiple pairs or nests nearby to each other in the same stands.

After decades of fire-suppression land management, Regal Woodpecker populations have decreased dramatically and have been forced to use lower quality habitat like logging areas, which puts them at risk with humans and machinery and forces them into areas of high sound pollution. As climate change continues to affect the island, wildfires are becoming more intense or extreme, often too large and powerful to benefit the woodpecker, but still the Regal is one of the first animals to colonize those post-burn forests. Many conservationists have argued for more frequent controlled burns of Novasolan forests, to give more room for fire-reliant species like the woodpecker and prevent build-up of fuel in forests to help curb major fires.

Please see my website: birdsofnovasola.blogspot.com/ for more information about this post and the project as a whole.

Description
Please see my website: birdsofnovasola.blogspot.com/ for more information about this post and the project as a whole.

Regal Woodpecker, Picoides regalis L 20-23 cm, WS 40-42 cm, Family: Picidae



Description:

Small to medium sized woodpecker with a rounded head and long, straight, chisel like bill, roughly the same length as the head. Head intricately patterned with black and white striping, with a yellow crown outlined in white in males, fully white crown in females. Back barred black and white, wings black with faint white striping. Throat and undersides white, with dense black striping on belly and undertail coverts. Tail mostly black, with white outer feathers. Lacking fourth toe on each foot.

Voice:

Most common call is a clear, sharp pik. Will also give a mechanical-sounding alarm rattle or growl. Both sexes drum on trees throughout the year to establish territories, attract mates, communicate with mates, and intimidate threats. Drumming short and slow paced, usually deep and resonant.

Range and Habitat:

Generally uncommon, its range encompasses most of Novasola, excluding the interior steppe. Though they can be found in most forest ecosystems, including temperate rainforest, conifer, mixed, and deciduous forests, dry pine and juniper stands, and oak savannah, they prefer areas of frequent disturbance like wind events, logging, or wildfires. They may also be found in man-made habitats like yards, gardens, and parks but this is uncommon.

Discussion:

One of the rarer woodpeckers on Novasola, the Regal Woodpecker can be found in forests across the island, but is most associated with disturbances and wildfires and most abundant in post-fire burnt areas. This habitat preference makes them less commonly seen by humans, most of whom avoid these areas. Somewhat similar in appearance to the White-breasted Woodpecker, the Regal is best distinguished by its yellow crown in males from which it earns its name, or by its striped back and undersides in both sexes. The Regal Woodpecker is closely related to the American Three-toed Woodpecker and Black-backed Woodpecker of mainland North America.

The Regal Woodpecker, like most woodpeckers, forages by clinging to trees and hammering the wood with their chisel-like bill to form excavations. With these holes the woodpecker gains access to woodboring insects and other invertebrates, which it then extracts using its long, barbed tongue. Regals hunt mostly for beetle larvae inside burnt trees, but more generally they search for trees or logs with prior damage or holes in the bark. Once a damaged limb or trunk is found, they will probe the opening or hammer to create a new or expand an existing hole. The hammering of these holes creates a loud noise which can sometimes be heard for miles, and woodpeckers often hammer to purposefully produce that sound, which helps them communicate with other birds including mates and rivals.

Mostly solitary, Regal Woodpeckers only pair up during the breeding season, often with new individuals each year. During the nesting season they will excavate a cavity in deadwood in which to lay eggs. They typically have only one brood a year and lay 3-5 eggs. Outside the breeding season the woodpeckers again become solitary. They are quite mobile and will fly to new areas and establish new territories often. It is believed this behavior allows them to find and take advantage of newly disturbed or burnt forests. In regions where wildfires or other disturbances are less common and competition increases, Regal territories can become quite small with multiple pairs or nests nearby to each other in the same stands.

After decades of fire-suppression land management, Regal Woodpecker populations have decreased dramatically and have been forced to use lower quality habitat like logging areas, which puts them at risk with humans and machinery and forces them into areas of high sound pollution. As climate change continues to affect the island, wildfires are becoming more intense or extreme, often too large and powerful to benefit the woodpecker, but still the Regal is one of the first animals to colonize those post-burn forests. Many conservationists have argued for more frequent controlled burns of Novasolan forests, to give more room for fire-reliant species like the woodpecker and prevent build-up of fuel in forests to help curb major fires.

Please see my website: birdsofnovasola.blogspot.com/ for more information about this post and the project as a whole.