Red Cockaded Woodpeckers

The Red Cockaded Woodpecker also referred to as the RCW is a woodpecker indigenous to the southeastern pine forests. It is on the endangered species list and is being intensively managed on federal, state and government lands. The uniqueness of this woodpecker is that it excavates a cavity in a living pine tree. Because of the time required to make this cavity biologists put an artiifical cavity called an  in the trees.

    A question often asked of me as both a biologist and a birder is where are the cockades? The bird in the below image was taken while we were trans locating birds to another forest.  The cockades are the red feathers on the side of the head and are only on the males . They are  rarely visible to someone observing.

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