Pileated Woodpecker

Dryocopus pileatusOrder: PICIFORMES Family: Woodpeckers (Picidae)

Codes: Common Name: PIWO Scientific Name: DRYPIL ITIS Taxonomic No.: 178166

Breeding Location:

Forests, coniferous, Forest edge

Breeding Type:

Monogamous

Breeding Population:

Common to fairly common

Egg Color:

White

Number of Eggs:

3 - 8

Incubation Days:

15 - 18

Egg Incubator:

Both sexes

Nest Material:

Few wood chips in tree.

Migration:

Nonmigratory

General

Pileated Woodpecker: Large woodpecker with mostly black body and conspicuous white wing linings. Head has a prominent red crest and cap, white face and neck stripes, red moustache stripe, and gray bill. Female is similar but has black moustache stripe and cap.

Range and Habitat

Pileated Woodpecker: Resident from British Columbia east across southern Canada to Nova Scotia, and south to northern California, southern Idaho, eastern North Dakota, central Texas, and Florida. Found in mature forests and borders.

Breeding and Nesting

Pileated Woodpecker: Three to eight white eggs are laid in a bare tree cavity. Incubation ranges from 15 to 18 days and is carried out by both parents.

Foraging and Feeding

Pileated Woodpecker: Feeds on insects such as ants and wood boring beetle larvae; also eats fruits and nuts. Pries off long slivers of wood to expose ant galleries, or uses its long, pointed tongue with barbs and sticky saliva to catch and extract ants from tunnels.

Readily Eats

Suet, Sunflower Seed, Nuts, Sugar Water, Fruit

Vocalization

Pileated Woodpecker: Call is a loud, flicker-like "cuk-cuk-cuk-cuk-cuk", rising and then falling in pitch and volume.

Similar Species

Pileated Woodpecker: Ivory-billed Woodpecker lacks white chin and small white eyestripe extending to crest.

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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

Pileated Woodpecker

Pileated Woodpecker: Large woodpecker with mostly black body and white wing linings which are visible in flight. the head has a prominent red crest and cap, white face and neck stripes and a red moustache stripe, and large gray bill. Legs and feet are gray. The largest woodpecker in North America.

● Song: "cuk-cuk-cuk-cuk-cuk"

● Foraging & Feeding: Pileated Woodpecker: Feeds on insects such as ants and wood boring beetle larvae; also eats fruits and nuts. Pries off long slivers of wood to expose ant galleries, or uses its long, pointed tongue with barbs and sticky saliva to catch and extract ants from tunnels.

● Breeding & nesting: Pileated Woodpecker: Three to eight white eggs are laid in a bare tree cavity. Incubation ranges from 15 to 18 days and is carried out by both parents.

● Similar species: Pileated Woodpecker: Ivory-billed Woodpecker lacks white chin and small white eyestripe extending to crest.

Flight Pattern

Strong powerful wing beats when traveling distances.

● Range & Habitat: Pileated Woodpecker: Resident from British Columbia east across southern Canada to Nova Scotia, and south to northern California, southern Idaho, eastern North Dakota, central Texas, and Florida. Found in mature forests and borders.

^BreedingMonogamous

^PopulationCommon to fairly common

^MigrationNonmigratory

^Weight10.9 Ounces

Cap

The area on top of the head of the bird.

Crest

Tufts of feathers on the head of the bird.

Face

The front part of the head consisting of the bill, eyes, cheeks and chin.

4 and 6 letter alpha codes

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

Field Guide to Birds of North America