Abstract The holes that woodpeckers excavate and use for nesting are important for many other cavity-nesting birds. The availability of appropriate substrate for cavity excavation in an urban environment is an important factor governing the abundance of woodpecker nest cavities. To understand the impacts of hurricane disturbance on characteristics of trees used by cavity-nesting birds, we surveyed woodpecker cavities in urban southeast Florida before and after Hurricane Irma in 2017. We used these data to understand which cavities were most likely to persist after the hurricane, and compare cavity tree characteristics before and after the storm. Woodpecker cavities in dead slash pine (Pinus elliottii var. densa) trees (snags) fared poorly compared to cavities in palm (Arecaceae) snags, hardwoods (live and dead), and wood utility poles. In the year after Hurricane Irma, the proportion of new cavities in palm snags increased relative to other substrates, while the proportion of cavities excavated in pines, hardwoods, and utility poles decreased. Trees excavated in the year after Hurricane Irma were 23 % shorter than trees with cavities found before the hurricane, suggesting that available trees were smaller. The decay class of trees and the number of woodpecker holes did not significantly affect the persistence rates of woodpecker cavity trees. We speculate that because palms generally have softer wood, their physical structure could make them more attractive to woodpeckers in the first year after a storm. The results of this study are relevant to the management of dead trees in urban areas in hurricane-prone regions, which are experiencing high urban growth. Cutting urban palm snags immediately following a storm removes a critical resource for woodpeckers during the first year of recovery.

中文翻译：

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飓风扰动前后城市啄木鸟巢址特征

摘要 啄木鸟挖掘并用于筑巢的洞对许多其他穴居鸟来说很重要。在城市环境中为空洞挖掘提供合适的基质是决定啄木鸟巢穴数量的重要因素。为了了解飓风干扰对空巢鸟类使用的树木特征的影响，我们在 2017 年飓风艾玛前后对佛罗里达州东南部城市的啄木鸟空洞进行了调查。我们使用这些数据来了解飓风过后哪些空洞最有可能持续存在，并比较风暴前后的空心树特征。与棕榈科（Arecaceae）树桩、硬木（活的和死的）和木质电线杆中的啄木鸟洞相比，枯死的斜线松（Pinus elliottii var. densa）树（树桩）中的啄木鸟洞表现不佳。在飓风艾尔玛之后的第二年，棕榈树桩中新空洞的比例相对于其他基质有所增加，而松树、硬木和电线杆中的空洞比例有所下降。在飓风艾尔玛之后的一年中挖掘的树木比飓风前发现的有洞的树木矮了 23%，这表明可用的树木更小。树木的腐烂等级和啄木鸟洞的数量对啄木鸟洞树的存活率没有显着影响。我们推测，由于棕榈树的木材通常较软，因此它们的物理结构可能使它们在风暴过后的第一年对啄木鸟更具吸引力。这项研究的结果与飓风多发地区城市地区的死树管理相关，这些地区正在经历城市的高速增长。