Effects of forest structure on home range sizes of co-occurring woodpecker species in the Upper Paraná Atlantic Forest

FERNÁNDEZ, JUAN MANUEL; LAMMERTINK, MARTJAN

Congreso; II Ornithological Congress of the Americas; 2023

Sociedade Brasileira de Ornitologia, Neotropical Ornithological Society

Variation in home range sizes of forest-linked species can shed light on their habitat requirements, and is an important tool for informing management decisions in environments under high anthropogenic pressure. During 2013-2019, we measured forest structural components and used radio-telemetry to test how structural components vary, and how they affect the home range sizes of co-occurring populations of Helmeted Woodpecker Celeus galeatus, Lineated Woodpecker Dryocopus lineatus and Robust Woodpecker Campephilus robustus, in four study sites: two old-growth forests, one forest with active selective logging, and one forest with 33 years of recovery after logging stopped, in the Upper Paraná Atlantic Forest in Misiones, Argentina. Home range sizes of Helmeted Woodpeckers were smaller with a greater density of potential roost trees and a higher percent cover of the understory with bamboo. Home range sizes of Robust Woodpeckers were smaller with a higher density of dead trees, and the home range sizes of Lineated Woodpecker were not explained by any of the variables measured here. The three woodpecker species selected tree diameter ranges and tree species for foraging and nesting disproportionally to their availability, and the Helmeted Woodpecker preferred certain tree species over others for roosting. We found that the same tree species are important to satisfy different ecological requirements in different woodpecker species, and that 33 years after cessation of selective logging most tree resources rebound to levels found in old-growth. Finally, we provide recommendations for restoring logged forests.