Various anole lizards and the Cuban tree frog also take refuge in old woodpecker excavations. Cavities formed by other natural processes also provide shelter. When a palm dies, the crown decomposes first and falls away piece by piece. With its protective bonnet gone, the core of the trunk rots from the top down, eventually creating a hollow chimney. Cuban parrots seek out such chimneys for nesting and large Caribbean rodents called hutias find sanctuary there as well.
Sabal palms provide more than just homes, however.
A healthy tree bears a bounty of small, black fruits in the rainy season. The warblers will return the palm's favor by dispersing its seeds far and wide. Sabal palms also play an important role in the lives of the human inhabitants of the Zapata Swamp, as Kirkconnell and I learn when we arrive in the sleepy village of Bermeja in search of Fernandina's flickers. The people of the village are mostly farmers who work small plots of land. The sabal palms provide the people of Bermeja with thatch for their roofs and occasionally serve as lumber when the taller royal palm is not available.