[mou] Need help with woodpecker question

[Christine Petersen]

Could someone help me resolve a question? I have searched the Web and simply cannot get a clear answer.

Why is the population of red-headed woodpeckers declining while red-bellied woodpeckers are faring well? I know red-headed woodpeckers have suffered from loss of nesting habitat due to removal of snags and competition from starlings, but red-bellies use snags too. Can anyone give me some details?

Thanks!
Christine

"Our correspondences have wings -- paper birds that fly from my house to yours -- flocks of ideas crisscrossing the country. Once opened, a connection is made. We are not alone in the world."

Terry Tempest Williams, from Refuge: An Unnatural History of Family and Place