Table of Contents

• Foreword by Frances C. James
• Acknowledgments

1. An Introduction
   • A Brief History
   • The Southern Pine Ecosystems
   • Change across the Landscape
   • Woodpecker Populations Plummet
   • The Tide Begins to Turn
   • An Unknown Future
2. Fire-Maintained Pine Ecosystems
   • History of the Southeastern Forests
   • The Longleaf Pine Forest
   • Other Southern Pines
   • The Animal Community
   • A Summary Perspective
   • Threats to the Fire-Maintained Ecosystem
3. Evolution, Taxonomy, and Morphology of the Red-cockaded Woodpecker
   • Evolution
   • Taxonomy
   • Morphology
   • Parasites
4. Red-cockaded Woodpecker Distribution: Past and Present
   • Distribution Prior to Recorded History
   • Recorded Historical Distribution
   • The Logging Era
   • The Modern Era
   • The Extent of Population Decline
   • The Current Population
5. Cavity Trees in Fire-Maintained Southern Pine Ecosystems
   • Cavity Construction in Live Pines
   • Resin Wells
   • Cavity Competition and Kleptoparasitism
   • Cavity Tree Selection
   • The Cavity Tree Cluster
6. Social Behavior and Population Biology
   • The Cooperative Breeding System
   • Evolution of the Social System
   • Population Dynamics
   • Population Viability
   • Reproduction
   • General Behavior
   • Territories and Aggression
   • Vocalizations
7. Foraging Ecology of Red-cockaded Woodpeckers
   • Foraging Substrates
   • Foraging Behavior
   • Diet
   • Sexual Dimorphism in Foraging Behavior
   • Foraging Requirements
   • Relationships with Other Insectivorous Birds
8. Red-cockaded Woodpeckers and Bark Beetles: A Love-Hate Relationship
   • Forest Landscape Interactions
   • Dynamics of a Beetle Infestation
   • Beetle Epidemics
9. The Causes of Population Declines
   • The Decline of the Red-cockaded Woodpecker as a Carrying Capacity Problem
   • The Role of Foraging Habitat
10. Extinction, Legal Status, and History of Management
    • Extinction
    • Early Roots of Conservation Efforts
    • Designation of Endangered Status and Initial Guidelines
    • Expansion of Scientific Information and Refinement of Management Guidelines
    • Litigation
    • Red-cockaded Woodpeckers on Military Bases
    • Red-cockaded Woodpeckers and Private Lands
    • The Dawn of a New Era
    • Development of New Woodpecker Management Guidelines
11. State-of-the-Art Management
    • The New Management Strategy
    • The Optimistic and Pessimistic Futures
    • New Management Policies
12. An Uncertain Future
    • Conflicts with Other Conservation Priorities
    • Conflicts with Other Land Use Priorities
    • Legal Challenges
    • Prospectus

• Appendix. Common and Scientific Names of Species Mentioned in Text
• Selected References and Additional Readings
• Index