Big. Beautiful. Bold. Brash when defending its territory but bashful around people.
If you see one, you won’t forget him, although you might struggle to pronounce his name correctly.
“Pileated” comes from the Latin word “pileatus”, which means “capped,” referring to their fluffy tuft of bright red top feathers.
I’ve heard people pronounce “pileated” as pīleāted “pi-le-a-ted” (sounding like a “pie” first) or pilleāted “pil-e-a-ted” (sounding like a “pill” first), so my theory is you can take your choice. Or, you can google how to say it, like I did, although it might only further confuse you with even more options, including whether it’s a three or four-syllable word . . .
(I took most of these photos in our woods, but this one is from Fort Wilderness at Disney World, taken my my son-in-law, Carl. Thanks, Carl!)
Of the 23 varieties of woodpeckers in North America, the pileated is the largest.
They are also the third largest variety in the world. Adults are about 16-19″ long and have of wing span of up to 2.5 feet. Although I can’t tell them apart by size, males are a couple of ounces bigger.
The only easy way to tell them apart is this: The males have a red line from the bill to the throat along their cheek whereas on females the line is black.
Male Pileated Woodpecker on our deck
His good wife—a female Pileated Woodpecker
Their favorite places are mature deciduous forests with some rotting trees, where they can find their favorite food: carpenter ants.
Pileated woodpeckers have long tongues (see above) to reach into crevices and extract bugs.
They are common in the Great Lakes region (where we live), although they also flourish throughout eastern North America and Canada.
This handsome fellow was drilling away on a rotten log outside our camper window one morning in Smoky Mountain National Park, Tennessee.
They make large, rectangular holes (rather than round) when drilling for ant colonies and beetles.
Pileated woodpeckers mate for life and work together to defend their territory, which can be upwards of 150 acres.
If one mate dies, the other will drum to attract a new mate to their territory.
Each spring, the male makes a new, large, often multi-entry roost for their nest to impress his wife, although the nest is abandoned after their brood is raised.
But—no problem! Many other birds and animals (even raccoons) appreciate having an only slightly used, rent-free home!
We’ve had a pair drumming away in our woods for years, although it’s only been within the last few years they’ve gotten tame enough to enjoy feasting on our suet feeder.
I sit approximately three feet from the feeder, although I’m on the inside of the window.
It used to be that every time I’d pick up my camera, they’d fly away.
Now they don’t even seem perturbed and are just as curious about me as I am about them!
I wish our flickers would calm down and let me photograph them!
Flicker in our cherry tree
They’re the last holdout among the dozens of visitors that come to our feeders every day, but it’s a rare day in May when I can capture a photo of them. I guess they don’t want their faces on the internet!
Woodpeckers have an almost unique capacity for repeatedly pecking on a tree at extremely high decelerations. To me, they almost sound like a jack hammer! God has designed them to survive this constant head banging without brain injury, despite the fact that during mating season they may peck up to 20 times per second and 12,000 times per day. No concussions, and I’ve never even heard them complain of headaches!
Beyond God’s brilliant design for their noggins, I want to commend them for being well-mannered in the culture of our neighborhood.
Rather than driving off smaller birds, our pileated woodpeckers take up residence in a nearby oak or cherry tree and wait their turn.
If they’re feeding and other birds come, they’re willing to share. This is contrary to what I’ve read, so I can’t tell if we have an especially amiable pair or if many pileated woodpeckers become less aggressive in the face of a plentiful supply of food.
For whatever reason, it makes me especially happy to see them come, and even though they’re fairly expensive “pets” (able to devour a suet feeder in a few days), they are always welcome to come and dine at our home!
“Use hospitality one to another without grudging” (1 Peter 4:9).
I suppose that extends to all of God’s sweet creatures!
Summer Setting 