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Article: Red-cockaded Woodpecker cavity tree resin avoidance by southern flying squirrels.
- Article from:
- Wilson Bulletin
- Article date:
- June 1, 1998
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1998 Wilson Ornithological Society. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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The Red-cockaded Woodpecker (Picoides borealis) excavates roosting and nesting cavities in live southern pines (Pinus spp.) (Steirly 1957, Ligon 1970, Lay 1970). Each Red-cockaded Woodpecker social unit, or group, occupies a cluster of cavity trees, usually containing a number of both active and inactive cavities (Walters 1990). Red-cockaded Woodpeckers maintain a constant flow of sticky resin around active cavities by regularly excavating resin wells in the vicinity of the cavity entrance (Ligon 1970). Also, a smooth tree bole is created by scaling loose bark from the trunk (Ligon 1970, Rudolph et al. 1990a). The resin flows down the smooth trunk of the tree and helps to ...