Learn More
Get Involved
Pileated Woodpecker

Pileated Woodpecker

Dryocopus pileatus

Least Concern

Quick Facts

Kingdom: Animalia
Abundance: Common
Habitat: Forest
Activity: Diurnal (Active during day)
Lifespan: Up to 12 years

A shy, elegant, crow-sized, woodpecker with a black body, black and white neck stripes, white wing linings, and a prominent red crest. The “mustache” is red in males and black in females. Often hard to observe due to its timid nature, its presence can be detected by its loud, ringing call and characteristically rectangular excavations in trees.

Diet

This woodpecker feeds on insects, primarily carpenter ants and woodboring beetle larvae; also wild fruits and nuts.

Activity Pattern

Diurnal (Active during day)
Kingdom: Animalia
→
Phylum: Chordata
→
Class: Aves
→
Order: Piciformes
→
Family: Picidae
→
Genus: Dryocopus
→
Species: Dryocopus pileatus

Scientific Name

Dryocopus pileatus
Breeding Season
March-April
Lifespan
Up to 12 years

Behavior

Pileated Woodpeckers forage in large, dead wood—standing dead trees, stumps, or logs lying on the forest floor. They make impressive rectangular excavations that can be a foot or more long and go deep inside the wood. These holes pursue the tunnels of carpenter ants, the woodpecker’s primary food. The sound is often audible as a heavy thunk, and large chips of wood collect on the ground below. Pileated Woodpeckers are monogamous and hold large territories; it’s rare to see more than two birds together at a time.

Ecological Role

Nesting holes made by woodpeckers provide good homes in future years for many forest songbirds and a wide variety of other animals. Owls and tree-nesting ducks may largely rely on holes made by these birds to lay their nests. Even mammals such as raccoons may use them.

Activity Pattern

Diurnal (Active during day)

Habitat Types

Forest

Geographic Distribution

Resident through forested North America from Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, s. Quebec, and central Ontario south to s. Florida, and west to forested river bottoms extending into the Great Plains in e. Texas and se. Oklahoma.

Local Abundance

Common

Conservation Status

Least Concern

This species is widespread and abundant. No immediate threat to survival.

How You Can Help

  • Report sightings to contribute to population monitoring
  • Support habitat conservation efforts
  • Follow guidelines when observing wildlife
No field notes or observations available for this species.

Contribute Your Observations

Have you spotted this species? Your observations help us track populations and understand behavior patterns.

Submit an Observation

Audio Call

Video

Watch Video