Restoring an Avian Pine Specialist
Jones Center Staff, Alumna, and Advisor Aid Brown-headed Nuthatch Translocation Efforts in Missouri
In late August 2024, the Missouri Department of Conservation and numerous partners in conservation united in the shortleaf pine forests of central Arkansas and southeast Missouri to continue a multi-year translocation effort for the Brown-headed Nuthatch.
Brown-headed Nuthatches (BHNUs) are quite tiny, weighing in at less than half an ounce. They are bluish gray with a brown cap and creamy white belly. Perhaps unsurprisingly, this species’ call is often compared to a small squeaky toy or rubber duck. These territorial songbirds spend most of their time in the forest canopy where they consume insects and pine seeds. Nuthatches are yearlong residents of pine forests in the Southeast, stretching from the Delmarva Peninsula to South Florida to western Mississippi as well as a distinct population in far East Texas, northwest Louisiana, and southern Arkansas.
Nuthatches are primary cavity nesters, excavating their own cavities in snags (dead standing trees). In the absence of snags, they can use abandoned woodpecker cavities. BHNUs are found in open pine savannas and woodlands, containing mature pine and ample snags for nesting habitat. This species exhibits cooperative breeding, similar to the Red-cockaded Woodpecker, where helper birds (typically young males) assist the mated pair in the rearing of young within family groups.
BHNU population declines are attributed to habitat loss. In In the late 1800s and early 1900s, extensive logging of the shortleaf pine forests in Missouri led to the extirpation of BHNUs from the state.
Translocation efforts began in 2020 and 2021 under the leadership of Jones Center Advisory Committee member and Cooperative Professor of the University of Missouri, Dr. Frank Thompson with the goal of relocating 50 birds per year from the Ouachita National Forest in Arkansas to the Mark Twain National Forest in Missouri, approximately 215 miles. Nests were monitored post-relocation to gauge project success.
In 2024, Kristen Heath-Acre, Ornithologist with Missouri Department of Conservation, Dr. Thomas Bonnot, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Biologist and University of Missouri Assistant Professor, and Dr. Thompson led this project’s third year of translocation. Center Forestry and Wildlife Biologist Zach Henshaw assisted the weeklong endeavor along with Center Conservation Fellow alumna, now Wildlife Biologist with the Missouri Department of Conservation, Miranda Wilkinson.
Additional project partner organizations included the Ouachita National Forest, USDA Forest Service Northern Research Station, Central Hardwoods Joint Venture, American Bird Conservancy, Audubon Center at Riverlands, Missouri River Bird Observatory, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Mark Twain National Forest.
Prior to translocation, Ouachita National Forest personnel scouted for possible nuthatch territories. Drs. Thompson and Bonnot led the “catch team” of 25-30 people tasked with capturing up to 100 birds. After a half-day of training, the team was split into 10-11 groups with each group receiving a route to scout for the day prior to deploying mist nets for capture. Catch groups used audio recordings and callbacks to gauge BHNU presence and activity within their route.
After selecting specific capture locations during scouting, mist nets were assembled and elevated on 6-foot painter poles to account for BHNUs tendency to remain in the upper canopy. Painted wood decoys were deployed near the center of mist nets to further entice BHNUs closer to the ground, capitalizing on their territorial nature.
Netting was conducted four consecutive days from sunrise to approximately 10am. Groups then met to combine their captured birds for vehicular transport to a local airport where they were loaded onto a small plane and flown 215 miles north to the Eleven Point District of the Mark Twain National Forest in Missouri. Birds were transported in cardboard tubes containing holes and sealed with netting complete with a complimentary, in-flight snack (live mealworms) to support their incredibly high metabolic rate.
The Missouri “release team”, led by Heath-Acre, processed birds upon arrival. Processing included weighing, aging, placing an aluminum leg band and color bands on each bird for identification during monitoring, and pulling feathers to sex individuals (females and males can’t be distinguished visually in the field). Additionally, a few birds were fitted with a Motus nanotag. Motus is an international collaborative research network that uses coordinated automated radio telemetry to facilitate research and education on the ecology and conservation of migratory animals. Nuthatch family groups were released together to maintain social networks due to their cooperative breeding behaviors.
Ultimately, 95 birds were translocated in the 2024 effort. Pending approval, project partners plan to continue translocations for two additional years to capture at least 100 more birds. The Jones Center at Ichauway is delighted to extend our staff to aid regional wildlife conservation efforts such as this Brown-headed Nuthatch restoration project.
All handling was conducted under proper permits with professional biologists including permitting from the USGS Bird Banding Lab, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, and the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.
