Some Aspects of Woodpecker Predation on the Spruce Beetle in Colorado

Historic data on predation by woodpeckers, primarily the American three-toed woodpecker (Picoides dorsalis), on epidemic levels of the spruce beetle (Dendroctonus rufipennis) in Engelmann spruce (Picea engelmannii) forests of Colorado are analyzed in this report. Significant differences in beetle consumption by male and female woodpeckers as well as seasonal differences in beetle consumption by woodpeckers in general were discovered through statistical analyses. Potential ecological explanations for observed differences are discussed