The17-inch Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus
pileatus) is about the size of a crow and is quite dapper with
his black suit, white stripes and red crest and red mustache.
His loud modulated call, rising up and down, rings
throughout the mature forests and borders that he calls home.
As with most woodpeckers, the Pileated
nests in carved out tree cavities. The clutch consists of 3 to
5 white eggs. This is the largest woodpecker in North America.
That distinction once belonged to the Ivory-billed Woodpecker,
that is now on the verge of extinction. The Pileated looks like
the Ivory-billed but lacks the large white wing patches.
The diet of these large birds is carpenter
ants. These birds inhabit the woods of southern Canada, northwestern
US states and on the eastern half of the US to the Gulf Coast
states.
The plush Pileated Woodpecker shown is
made by Wild Republic and is part of their Audubon Birds collection.
These birds are unique in that when squeezed they will utter
their own particular call. Check the Gift Shop to
see if there are any Pileated Woodpeckers in stock. We might
have some Ivory-billed Woodpeckers there, too. Check here.
Return
to The Aviary Index
