Description
Erikas Chesonis designed this stunning art piece for our 2024-2025 Conservation Science Stamp Set. This stamp highlights the Lewis’s Woodpecker (Melanerpes lewis). The Lewis’s Woodpecker is a US Fish and Wildlife Service Bird of Conservation Concern and a Species of Greatest Conservation Need in Oregon and other western states. Its population has suffered a 72% population decline. This species of woodpecker stands out with its unique coloring and behavior. It relies on flycatching insects during its breeding season and stores acorns for its non-breeding seasons. Lewis’s Woodpeckers have been impacted by habitat loss and the decline of insect populations at breeding sites and along avian migration routes. The funds raised from this stamp will support KBO’s role in partnership-driven restoration work in oak woodlands, a critical habitat for this species, and research to uncover mysteries about its migration and identify opportunities for better-focusing conservation efforts throughout the Lewis’s Woodpeckers full annual cycle.
