Passive acoustic monitoring captures large-scale Dryocopus pileatus (Pileated Woodpecker) occupancy patterns in the Pacific Northwest, USA

Abstract

Dryocopus pileatus (Pileated Woodpecker) landscape use is widespread in the Pacific Northwest, especially in forested locations with structurally complex canopies, but declines at higher latitudes, higher elevations, and in areas of greater topographic complexity. High-use sites featured high conifer canopy cover and high Abies grandis (grand fir) basal area. These findings emerged from our analyses of ∼1.7 million hours of acoustic recordings collected from 3,948 sites distributed across 10 million hectares of forest lands in the Pacific Northwest, USA. Data were processed using a deep learning model to detect species-specific vocalizations. Landscape use rates were high overall, with detections at 83% of surveyed locations. Detection probability decreased significantly over the field season and was negatively influenced by environmental noise and precipitation, emphasizing the need to account for these factors when interpreting acoustic monitoring data. The deep learning model detected D. pileatus vocalizations with high precision (>97% true positives among apparent detections). We corrected encounter histories based on precision, thereby improving the accuracy and reliability of ecological inferences. Passive acoustic monitoring, combined with machine learning and remotely sensed landscape variables, effectively uncovered nuanced patterns of occupancy and landscape use by D. pileatus at broad spatial scales. By elucidating patterns of landscape use, occupancy, and detectability, our results can help to guide conservation efforts and future research on this species. Given the role that D. pileatus plays as an ecosystem engineer, its distribution and habitat associations bear strongly on forest ecosystem management and biodiversity conservation in the context of changing forest conditions. This broad-scale assessment highlights the ecological importance of D. pileatus in shaping forest communities, influencing habitat availability for cavity-dependent species, and maintaining biodiversity across forested landscapes.

Citation

Ruff, Zachary J; Lesmeister, Damon B; Jenkins, Julianna M A; Rugg, Natalie M. 2026. Passive acoustic monitoring captures large-scale Dryocopus pileatus (Pileated Woodpecker) occupancy patterns in the Pacific Northwest, USA. Ornithological Applications. 128(2): 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1093/ornithapp/duag008.