04/18/2025
Did you know woodpeckers make homes for the rest of the forest? They're what's known as "ecosystem engineers"—uniquely equipped to dig into tree wood to make nest holes, which end up as housing for scores of birds, mammals, and insect species. Researchers have adapted the well-known concept of food webs to describe "nest webs," the way that woodpecker holes are created, passed along, and reused by other animals throughout the lifetime of the hole. The dark gray arrows in this illustration of a western Canada forest point from cavity producers (woodpeckers) to cavity consumers. For example, Northern Flicker holes are a main source of cavities for Mountain Bluebirds, American Kestrels, and Buffleheads. The white arrows show additional food-web relationships that can stem from the relationships in this nest web.
Read the full article: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/hole-story-how-woodpeckers-make-homes-forest/ This article is from our latest edition of Living Bird Magazine, print copies are available for Lab members.