Pileated Woodpecker —Ross Feldner One of the largest and most impressive forest birds on the continent, the Pileated Woodpecker has a flaming-red crown and is almost as big as a crow. It is black with prominent white stripes along the neck. Pileated Woodpeckers leave distinctive rectangular holes in the wood (as opposed to its round nest holes), as they whack at dead trees and fallen logs with a powerful chisel-shaped bill in quest of their primary meal, carpenter ants. Like Hairy, Downy, and other woodpeckers, Pileated Woodpeckers "drum" on hollow trees with their bills to establish territory and attract mates. Pileated Woodpeckers rarely reuse nest cavities, but other bird species like the Wood Duck, Eastern Bluebird, and Eastern Screech-Owl, as well as bats, raccoons, and other mammals, depend on the holes for nesting and roosting. The destruction of the eastern forest in the 18th and 19th centuries led to a drastic decrease of Pileated Woodpecker numbers. Since around 1900, the species has slowly made a recovery, returning to its former prevalence in some places. | |
