48 Richard R. Repasky and Phillip D. Doerr 



Table 4. Mean and standard error of the percentage of foraging time spent using 

 various foraging methods. 







Female 







Male 







Peer & 









Peer & 









Month 



Poke 



Peck 



Glean 



Other 3 



Poke 



Peck 



Glean 



Other a 











Gro 



iup A 









9 



47 ±6 



35 + 5 



12±4 



6 



24 ± 10 



56± 12 



11+5 



9 



11 



50 ±7 



17 + 5 



32 + 6 



1 



70 ± 16 



18± 12 



13± 15 



-1 



1 



73 ±7 



12±5 



13±4 



2 



66 + 7 



25 ±7 



8±3 



1 



3 



54 + 3 



23 + 3 



23 ±3 







52 ±3 



41+4 



7± 1 







5 



63 ±7 



23 + 5 



11 ±5 



3 



56 + 4 



28 ±3 



15±3 



1 



7 



59 ±5 



27 + 5 



14 + 3 







48 ±8 



39 + 9 



16 + 5 



-3 











Group B 









8 



54 ±5 



32 + 5 



13±3 



1 



40+11 



29+ 10 



20 ±6 



11 



10 



41 ±7 



53 ±7 



4± 1 



2 



39 ±6 



54 ±7 



7 + 2 







12 



57 ±4 



32 + 4 



6 + 2 



5 



55 + 5 



35 + 6 



10±2 







2 



56 ±4 



37 + 3 



7± 1 







47 + 5 



44 + 6 



8 + 3 



1 



4 



74 ±2 



21+2 



5+ 1 







60 + 2 



28 + 2 



12+ 1 







6 



65 ±6 



29 ±6 



5 + 2 



1 



45 + 4 



40 ±4 



15 + 2 







"Other" time was calculated as the percentage complement of peering and 

 poking, pecking, gleaning; so, it also includes estimation error associated with 

 these behaviors. 



Synthesis 



Several pieces of evidence intersect to suggest that if food is 

 limiting to red-cockaded woodpeckers, it may be least available during 

 early winter. Foraging occupied the greatest portion of the day in 

 December and January, and overlap in substrate use between the sexes 

 was low during November and December. Furthermore, supplanting 

 attacks for foraging sites among family group members peaked during 

 December and January, and supplanting attacks by red-bellied wood- 

 peckers, Melanerpes carolinus (L.), peaked during January and February 

 (Repasky 1984). Skorupa (1979) has also argued that winter is the 

 period of resource limitation on the basis of seasonal territory dynamics. 

 If foraging habitat quality were related to habitat structure, habitat 

 preference would be expected to be strongest during the period of food 

 limitation. The family group that exhibited preference in this study did 

 so most strongly during January, and it preferred areas of higher pine 

 density and surface area and smaller tree diameter within its home 

 range. 



