Modeling within-territory habitat selection by Lilfordi Woodpecker Dendrocopos leucotos lilfordii from GPS tracking: Implications for conservation and forest management

Abstract

The Lilfordi Woodpecker (Dendrocopos leucotos lilfordii), a subspecies of the White-Backed Woodpecker, is considered one of the rarest and most endangered woodpeckers in Europe. Understanding the habitat requirements of the Lilfordi Woodpecker is crucial to making the management of forests compatible with its conservation. While many studies have identified some habitat features that the White-Backed Woodpecker preferentially uses, it remains unclear whether the Lilfordi Woodpecker subspecies behaves the same way. We conducted a comparative analysis of presence/absence plots, delineated by GPS tracking data from a previous study, in 10 % of the territories found in the Western Pyrenees (Spain). Our results corroborate the primary role of deadwood (snags and logs) variables in determining the presence of the Lilfordi Woodpecker. However, we found that the subspecies could select less mature forest stands than previously assumed (and observed for the nominal species). Furthermore, provided that, at least, 4 snags (DBH > 20 cm) and 17m³ of logs per hectare are available, beech forests can be suitable for the Lilfordi Woodpecker. Importantly, our findings are easy to transfer to management, thus establishing the guidelines to regulate forestry exploitation to promote the species’ conservation.