Lewis’s Woodpecker – Oregon Conservation Strategy

Photo Credit: Dave Herr, National Park Service

Overview

Species Common Name Lewis’s Woodpecker
Species Scientific Name Melanerpes lewis
Federal Listing Status Species of Concern
State Listing Status Sensitive

Ecoregions

Blue Mountains

Located in NE Oregon, the Blue Mountains ecoregion is the largest ecoregion in the state. It provides a diverse complex of mountain ranges, valleys, and plateaus that extend beyond Oregon into the states of Idaho and Washington.

Columbia Plateau

The Columbia Plateau ecoregion was shaped by cataclysmic floods and large deposits of wind-borne silt and sand earlier in its geological history. It is dominated by a rolling landscape of arid lowlands dissected by several important rivers, and extends from the eastern slopes of the Cascades Mountains, south and east from the Columbia River to the Blue Mountains.

East Cascades

The East Cascade ecoregion extends from the Cascade Mountains’ summit east to the warmer, drier high desert and down the length of the state. This ecoregion varies dramatically from its cool, moist border with the West Cascades ecoregion to its dry eastern border, where it meets sagebrush desert landscapes.

Klamath Mountains

The Klamath Mountains ecoregion covers much of southwestern Oregon, including the Umpqua Mountains, Siskiyou Mountains, and interior valleys and foothills between these and the Cascade Range. The Rogue watershed has the largest population of any coastal watershed in Oregon (Jackson County, Josephine County, and a portion of Curry County). Several popular and scenic rivers run …

West Cascades

The West Cascades ecoregion extends from east of the Cascade Mountains summit to the foothills of the Willamette, Umpqua, and Rogue Valleys, and spans the entire length of the state of Oregon. It is largely dominated by conifer forests, moving into alpine parklands and dwarf shrubs at higher elevations.

Special needs

This species has five major habitat types: ponderosa pine forests, oak woodlands, oak-pine woodlands, cottonwood riparian forests, and areas burned by wildfires. In all cases, special needs include aerial insects for foraging, large snags for nesting (especially soft or well-decayed snags), and relatively open canopy for flycatching.

Limiting factors

Lewis's Woodpeckers have experienced declines and local extirpations. Habitat loss and degradation, including loss of old cottonwood snags, have impacted this species. Availability of nest cavities may be limiting, particularly where Lewis's Woodpeckers compete with European Starlings (Sturnus vulgaris). Large areas of suitable habitat exist on private lands, limiting management actions.

Data gaps

Assess distribution. Investigate habitat relationships. Evaluate the impacts of grazing on insect communities in the undergrowth.

Conservation actions

Maintain or restore open oak, ponderosa pine, and cottonwood woodlands, along with post-fire ponderosa pine habitat. Use nest boxes to enhance habitat in known nesting areas.

Key reference or plan

Lewis's Woodpecker (Melanerpes lewis): A Technical Conservation Assessment