The Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR) says that the red-topped tappers are making a strong comeback in the state. This is after being on the list of threatened species by the US Fish and Wildlife Service for 50 years. In 1970, there were less than 1,500 family groups living in the area that now covers Virginia to Texas. By 2024, there will be more than 7,800 family groups living in the area.
It is thought that there are “well north of 1,500” red-cockaded woodpecker family groups in Georgia alone, which is more than the total number of people living in the US in the 1970s. Since the species has been getting better in Georgia and other places, the US Fish and Wildlife Service recently changed its status from “endangered” to “threatened.”
The red-cockaded woodpecker is still protected by the federal government as a “threatened” species, and Georgia’s DNR is still running programs to help the birds grow faster.
Loss and damage to habitat are still the two biggest threats to the species. It’s not all caused by people. At Georgia’s Moody Forest Wildlife Management Area and Natural Area, Hurricane Helene killed more than 40% of the trees that the species used to build nests. Before that, in 1989, Hurricane Hugo hit land along the coasts of South Carolina and Georgia and killed 87% of the active cavity trees. This was another terrible blow to the rare birds.
But it’s people—federal agencies, the state DNR, and regular people—who are helping the cleanup go on. In order to help the red-cockaded woodpecker get back to its native range, federal land management agencies and military sites have added conservation strategies to their management plans. Also, 459 non-federal landowners representing about 2.5 million acres have signed up for state-wide conservation benefit agreements, which used to be called Safe Harbor Agreements.
Source: Woodpeckers Are Doing Well in Georgia Threatened Species Gets Better with Human Help
