Immediate post-fire nesting by Black-backed Woodpeckers, Picoides arcticus, in Northern Alberta

Abstract

An active Black-backed Woodpecker nest was found in a forested area that had been severely burned the same summer. By backdating, nest excavation was estimated to have started within a few days after the passage of the fire. This observation indicates that the Black-backed Woodpecker is not only closely associated with recently-burned forests, but that it can nest successfully immediately after the occurrence of a forest fire.