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Date Created:
April 3, 2008
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Bird Watching
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For The Birds
Bird-lovers Are us! We love to look at these gorgeous creatures. Tell us which ones youhave sighted lately and which ones you are still stalking. all species are welcome: from albatross to Zebra finches.
  Post to Topic     Print   Pileated Woodpecker
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Zil said:
on October 16, 2009 07:01 PM ET

 

 

Pileated Woodpecker
Photo: Roland Jordahl

Pileated Woodpecker map

    • Scientific Name: Dryocopus pileatus.
    • Family: Woodpecker.
    • Length: 16-1/2 inches.
    • Wingspan: 29 inches.
    • Distinctive Markings: Full red crest, black wings and tail, and a white stripe on its long neck. Males and females look alike, except the male has full red c rest that extends to the top of his bill, and a red "mustache." The female has a red crest on the back of her head and a black mustache.
    • Nest: Pairs excavate a new nesting cavitity each year in genereally the same area. It's located in a tree 15 to 70 feet high, typically faces south and has a round entrance hole. The pair spends about a month creating the cavitiy, which is up to 24 inches deept. Using no nesting material, the female lays 3 to 5 white eggs, which both parents incubate for 18 days. They raise one brood per year.
    • Song: Contact call is a deep loud "wek" or "kuk" sound. Territorial call is a higher-pitched cackle, "flick-a, flick-a, flick-a."
    • Habitat: Mature conifer and deciduous forests and large tracts of mixed woodlands.
    • Diet: Mostly carpenter ants, as well as beetles, insect larvae, wild berries and acorns.
    • Backyard Favorites: Suet in feeders, located at least 10 feet above the ground on the trunk of a mature tree in wooded habitat.
5 posts by 4 users
Zil
Post #5
Zil replied to sandspring's Post #4 :
on October 27, 2009 07:47 PM ET

Wow, you have a huge array to enjoy. Be sure to keep your bincolars handy. The woodpeckers nest and live in hallows of trees and have instant food for all the insect harbored inside the bark. Your location is ideal. Happy birding, Zil


sandspring
Post #4
sandspring said:
on October 27, 2009 07:27 PM ET

At our suet feeder we get the beautiful redheaded woodpecker as well as many many downy woodpeckers, red-bellied woodpeckers, and hairy woodpeckers. Across the street are several dead trees where they seem to live. My favorites are the almost tame downies. In addition we get cardinals, catbirds, mockingbirds, nuthatches, bluejays, wrens, grackles,sparrows and tufted titmice at the sunflower seed and thistle feeders.

At my dentist's last week he had a bird feeder attached to the outside of one of the windows with suction cups. The feeder was busy with little birds giving us something fun to watch while we sat in the dentist's chair. The feeder was small and seemed to be made of lucite.


Magic48
Post #3
Magic48 said:
on October 16, 2009 09:50 PM ET

I've only seen two Pileated Woodpeckers - and not recently at all.  From time to time I hear repetitive knocking that's very loud and I wonder if it's the Pileated breed or not.  Sometimes the smaller woodpeckers can make very loud noises when pecking at trees, if they are boring into a hollow branch or trunk.


Zil
Post #2
Zil replied to 1mainer's Post #1 :
on October 16, 2009 09:32 PM ET

I see or certainly hear them every day. They are such beautiful woodpeckers and very shy. It doesn't seem to take much for them to fly off. Thank you, Zil


1mainer
Post #1
1mainer said:
on October 16, 2009 08:33 PM ET
edited on October 16, 2009 08:33 PM ET

This brought back memories for me. I use to live in Virginia in a very wooded area. I had a pileated woodpecker visit my backyard one afternoon. He must have been after bugs in an old tree. He stayed there for a long time. He was great fun to watch.