Use of Red-cockaded Woodpecker Cavities in South Florida by Barking and Cuban Treefrogs, and Other Species under the Umbrella

Travis R. Mangione^1,* and Andrew M. Durso¹

¹Department of Biological Sciences, Florida Gulf Coast University, 10501 FGCU Boulevard S., Fort Myers, FL 33965. *Corresponding author.

Southeastern Naturalist, Volume 25, Issue 3 (2026): 371–384

First published early online: 26 August 2026

Abstract
Leuconotopicus borealis (Red-cockaded Woodpecker) are primary excavators of cavities in living Pinus (pine) trees in the southeastern US and serve as a keystone species (a species with a large impact in an ecosystem on which other organisms rely) for animals that use woodpecker cavities. No attempt has been made to compile a list of secondary cavity users of Red-cockaded Woodpecker cavities in South Florida. We monitored cavity use across 7 public properties in South Florida and documented 22 species of secondary cavity users. Dryophytes gratiosus (Barking Treefrog) ranked second in terms of total encounters but have not been well documented in other studies. We also documented the first use of Red-cockaded Woodpecker cavities as above-ground refugia by Dryophytes femoralis (Pinewoods Treefrog) and non-native Osteopilus septentrionalis (Cuban Treefrog). Our assessment fills a gap in the available literature for the conservation benefits Red-cockaded Woodpecker cavities provide for other species, especially treefrogs.

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