The Red-cockaded Woodpecker is no longer an endangered species.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service downlisted the rare bird, which is found predominantly across the southeastern United States, from endangered to threatened under the Endangered Species Act. The Red-cockaded Woodpecker was listed as endangered in 1970 when population fell below 10,000 and was first bird protected by the Endangered Species Act in 1973.
In 2021, Georgia Power—through its parent company, Southern Company —partnered with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and other public and private organizations to restore, enhance, and protect longleaf pine, the habitat of the Red-cockaded Woodpecker, across the Southeastern United States. As part of the initiative, 21 grants were awarded through the Longleaf Landscape Stewardship Fund and are expected to establish more than 15,000 acres of new longleaf pine forest. The initiative will also enhance an additional 400,000 acres through prescribed burning, invasive species removal, and other forest management practices. The grants are expected to increase and improve habitat for several at-risk species who make their habitats in longleaf pine systems, including the Red-cockaded Woodpecker, gopher tortoise, and eastern indigo snake.
“Decades of committed recovery work and collaboration drove this remarkable story of recovery,” U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Martha Williams said in a statement. “The Service worked closely with the Departments of Agriculture and Defense, private landowners, Tribes, state agencies, businesses, utilities and conservation groups to reach today’s announcement. The improved status of the Red-cockaded Woodpecker shows that when we give species a chance, they can thrive. The Endangered Species Act can serve as a catalyst for collaborative efforts like this one to promote recovery and conserve habitats.”
Georgia Power owns and manages more than 4,000 acres of natural and planted longleaf pine and plans to re-establish additional acres within the next few years. The Edwin I. Hatch Nuclear Plant in Baxley, Georgia, also known as Plant Hatch, is part of a Safe Harbor Agreement with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources which ensures adequate habitats will be provided and managed properly for the Red-cockaded Woodpecker. The land at one of Georgia Power’s other nuclear facilities, Plant Vogtle, is also enrolled in Safe Harbor, however, there are currently no Red-cockaded Woodpeckers on either property. The species is currently found on Moody Forest Wildlife Management Area, adjacent to Plant Hatch.
While no longer endangered, the Red-cockaded Woodpecker is still at risk of regaining its endangered status due to habitat loss, natural challenges from its small population, and natural disasters like hurricanes, ice storms, and wildfires.