America’s Red-Cockaded Woodpecker: A Rare Bird 2005
Distributed by Chip Taylor Communications, 2 East View Drive, Derry, NH 03038-4812; 800-876-CHIP (2447)
Produced by TV Ontario
Director n/a
DVD, color, 30 min.
Jr. High - Adult
Animal Behavior, Birds, Bird Watching, Ecology, Environmental Studies, Evolution, Natural History, Ornithology
Date Entered: 12/17/2009
Reviewed by Christopher Hollister, University at Buffalo LibrariesAs the title suggests, America’s Red-Cockaded Woodpecker: A Rare Bird presents the case of this critically endangered native of pine forests in the Southeastern United States. The red-cockaded woodpecker (Picoides borealis) is not particularly unique in appearance; it is an average-sized, mostly black and white member of the woodpecker family. The bird is named for a small red streak on each side of the male’s black cap—the cockade—which is only visible during the breeding season or in periods of territorial defense. What makes this species unique, and ironically, what has contributed to its precipitous population decline, is its distinctive evolutionary adaptations.
The video is filmed in the Sandhills region of North Carolina, which has one of the few remaining viable populations of red-cockaded woodpeckers. The species prefers this region for its longleaf pine forests, which, due to overharvesting and to wildfire suppression, are also endangered. Viewers will learn the unique ways that P. borealis exploits the longleaf pine to protect its nest cavity from predation, how its chicks are fledged, and how its male offspring inherit family nest sites. Also featured are intensive governmental efforts to conserve the forests, and as a result, to save the red-cockaded woodpecker from extinction. The reviewer highly recommends this title for academic, public, and school library collections.