As autumn gives way to winter, the Red-cockaded Woodpecker’s world changes. The longleaf pines that housed their summer nests now stand quiet, their open understories carpeted with fallen needles.

For these birds, winter is not a season of migration or rest, it’s a time to endure, together. As we prepare for our own traditions filled with food and family, RCWs also rely on their familial bonds to weather the winter, and find food despite the scarcity of the season. 

Red-cockaded Woodpeckers remain in their home territories year-round, relying on the stability of their family groups, called clusters, to make it through the cold. As is now familiar from our previous months’ blogs, within these clusters, one breeding pair shares its territory with several “helpers,” usually sons from previous years who postponed dispersal to assist their parents. These roosting groups illustrate the deep social bonds that define RCW life through every season.

But the transition to winter does reshape their diet. Insects remain their mainstay, but with food scarcer, RCWs must search harder for overwintering beetles, spiders, and larvae, using their specialized forked tongues to probe among the pine bark for a meal. Males tend to search higher in the canopy, working along limbs and the upper trunk, while females focus lower on the trunk below the crown. This division of labor helps reduce competition between the sexes throughout the year, but is most evident in winter when prey is hardest to find. RCW foraging groups are also more likely to have company in winter, and may be joined by mixed flocks of songbirds, such as Eastern Bluebirds and Brown-headed Nuthatches.

During the cooler months, Red-cockaded Woodpeckers also broaden their diet beyond insects to include the seeds of longleaf pines. This seasonal shift has been observed between late October and early January, most often in early November, and coincides with the opening of pine cones and the dispersal of seeds. RCWs will perch on open cones to extract seeds, then fly to a nearby trunk or limb to consume their treat. This winter feeding behavior underscores the woodpecker’s adaptability, a reminder that even in lean seasons, the longleaf forest continues to sustain the RCW.

As we enter a season of reflection and gratitude, it’s fitting to look to these birds for inspiration. In their persistence, cooperation, and loyalty to home, the Red-cockaded Woodpecker reminds us that endurance is a collective effort, in the longleaf forest and beyond.

For our final entry of the year next month, we’ll look ahead to the future of the RCW, exploring the work of a new generation of scientists and the fresh research that continues to deepen our understanding of this remarkable species.

Blog Post Written by Brittany Richards, Wake Audubon volunteer.