![]() It will defend the territory in all seasons, but will tolerate floaters during the winter. The Pileated Woodpecker will also nest in nest boxes about 15 ft off the ground.Ī Pileated Woodpecker pair stays together on its territory all year round and is a non-migratory species. Ecologically, the entire woodpecker family is important to the well being of many other bird species. Other woodpeckers and smaller birds such as wrens may be attracted to Pileated holes to feed on the insects found in them. Even mammals such as raccoons may use them. ![]() Locally, owls and tree-nesting ducks may largely rely on holes made by Pileateds in which to lay their nests. When abandoned, these holes-made similarly by all woodpeckers-provide good homes in future years for many forest song birds and a wide variety of other animals. Once the brood is raised, the Pileated Woodpeckers abandon the hole and will not use it the next year. In April, the hole made by the male attracts a female for mating and raising their young. ![]() Pileated Woodpeckers raise their young every year in a hole in a tree. The roost of a Pileated Woodpecker usually has multiple entrance holes. Woodpeckers make such large holes in dead trees that the holes can cause a small tree to break in half. Usually, Pileated woodpeckers excavate their large nests in the cavities of dead trees. Although they are less likely feeder visitors than smaller woodpeckers, Pileateds may regularly be attracted to them in areas experiencing harsh winter conditions. They may forage around the sides of human homes or even cars and can occasionally be attracted to suet-type feeders. Pileated woodpeckers may also forage on or near the ground, especially around fallen, dead trees, which can contain a smorgasbord of insect life. They are self-assured on the vertical surfaces of large trees but can seem awkward while feeding on small branches and vines. They also will lap up ants by reaching with their long tongue into crevices. Pileated Woodpeckers will often chip out large and roughly rectangular holes in trees while searching out insects, especially ant galleries. They also eat fruits, nuts, and berries, including poison ivy berries. These birds mainly eat insects, especially carpenter ants and wood-boring beetle larvae. Its drumming can be very loud, often sounding like someone striking a tree with a hammer. The Northern Flicker, which is very different looking and weighs about half as much as a Pileated, has a similar-sounding call but has a weaker voice. The call is a loud, far-carrying laugh, sometimes described as a "jungle bird" call due its wild, un-fettered quality. Most reports of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker are believed to be erroneous reports of the far more common Pileated. However, unlike the Pileated, both of those species are extremely rare, if not extinct. The only North American birds of similar plumage and size are the Ivory-billed Woodpecker of the Southeastern United States and Cuba, and the related Imperial Woodpecker of Mexico. Two species found in the Old World, the White-bellied and Black Woodpeckers are closely related and occupy the same ecological niche in their respective ranges that the Pileated occupies in North America. ![]() Adult males have a red line from the bill to the throat, in adult females these are black. The flight of these birds is strong and direct but has an undulating quality, similar to the relatively unique flight-style of all woodpeckers. They are mainly black with a red crest, and have a white line down the sides of the throat. Each wing measures 21.4 to 25.3 cm, the tail measures 14 to 17.4 cm, the bill is 4.1–6 cm and the tarsus measures 3.1–3.8 cm. Adults are 40 to 49 cm long, span 66 to 75 cm across the wings and weigh 250 to 400 g, with an average weight of 300 g.
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