Defenders 'Disappointed’ by Downlisting of Red Cockaded Woodpecker

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today downlisted the red-cockaded woodpecker from endangered to threatened status under the Endangered Species Act, a decision conservation groups have staunchly opposed.  

“The recovery of an endangered species is always something to celebrate but, in this case, it’s premature,” said Ben Prater, Southeast Program Director for Defenders of Wildlife. “It's ironic that the decision to downlist has been made in the wake of one of the largest and most destructive storms to hit the Southeast in recorded history, fracturing crucial connections between red-cockaded woodpecker habitats. Decades of significant progress have been made to recover this species and manage habitats effectively — progress which could now be upended at a critical time.”

Defenders and the Southern Environmental Law Center wrote against the downlisting of the red-cockaded woodpecker in 2021, citing the threat of climate change and its influence on severe storms. The species has faced significant habitat loss due to warming temperatures, including the recent destructive force of both Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton. Helene made landfall 70 miles from Apalachicola National Forest, home to important red-cockaded woodpecker populations.  

As few as 7,800 clusters of red-cockaded woodpeckers remain in pine forests across the south, with the majority of the species’ habitat eliminated by the logging industry. While some populations are doing well today, they are often isolated, leaving them vulnerable to large-scale disturbance. FWS set out downlisting criteria for the red-cockaded woodpecker in 2003, but currently none of those criteria have been fully met.