The American Three-toed Woodpecker (Picoides dorsalis) is a relatively poorly known species due to its remote northern distribution, the low density of its populations, and its cryptic behavior. In this article, we report the observation of an 11-year-old individual, nearly 2 times older than the previous record for the species. This longevity is similar to values reported for the closely related Eurasian Three-toed Woodpecker (P. tridactylus). We report on the observation of a male that was captured, aged, color-banded, and photographed in 2010, and photographed again when it was resighted in 2019. This finding has potential implications for the modeling of population viability and the possibility of extinction debt in marginal habitat.
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5 February 2021
Doubling the longevity record of the American Three-toed Woodpecker (Picoides dorsalis)
Marc-André Villard,
Catherine Craig
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The Wilson Journal of Ornithology
Vol. 132 • No. 2
June 2020
Vol. 132 • No. 2
June 2020
banding
forest management
life history
New Brunswick
Picidae