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Pileated Woodpecker - BirdForum Opus

Male
Photo © by Deerbird
Kentucky, 18 May 2021
Dryocopus pileatus

Hylatomus pileatus

Identification

Female (left) and Male exploring hole in tree. Dark eye of female indicates juvenile
Photo © by m3ling
Bartlesville, Oklahoma, March 2006

L. 40-48 cm (15¾-19 in); Weight 250-350 g

  • Crow-sized
  • Black
  • Red crest
  • White line down the sides of the throat
  • Red malar stripe and forehead in male
  • Black malar stripe and pale forehead in female

Juvenile like adult except for dark eye

Confusion Species

Ivory-billed Woodpecker and Imperial Woodpecker, both of which are thought to be extinct

Distribution

Canada, the eastern United States and parts of the Pacific coast.

Taxonomy

Subspecies

Two subspecies are recognized[1]:

Habitat

Mature forests

Behaviour

Breeding

Nests are excavated in the cavities of dead trees.

Diet

Includes insects (especially beetle larvae and carpenter ants) as well as fruits, berries and nuts. Large, oval shaped cavities act as clues to the bird's presence.

Voice

A loud, wild kekekekekekekekekeke or single kek

References

  1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2019. The eBird/Clements Checklist of Birds of the World: v2019. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
  2. BF Member observations

Recommended Citation

External Links


GSearch checked for 2020 platform.1

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