Critter Class

Pileated Woodpecker

Animal Diversity Web

September 19, 2011

Comment: Pileated Woodpecker!

Comment: Ooooh, a woodpecker! When I was being interviewed for the Outreach position I had to do a timed writing sample writing an 'update' on a WCV patient. Of the choices I was given, I picked the Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker.. what a fascinating bird! The males are very progressive and spoil their women. I enjoyed learning about them, so I'm sure tonight's will be just as interesting!

Comment: MVK, can you give us the phonetic spelling of this woodpecker. I forgot it. sorry.....

MVK: Pill - E - a-ted

Comment: This really is the type of wp that Woody was. Right?

MVK: Right!

MVK: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vw1TCg63Dcw

Comment: What is the range of these woodpeckers? Do they stay in one area or do they migrate?

Critter Class – Pileated Woodpecker 1 9/19/2011

Comment: Oh and BTW, MVK, you picked my favorite group of birds, I adore Woodpeckers and have been on several birding trips in Eastern Europe specifically to seek out some of our rarer ones. Now I'm glad you picked a Pileated for our education tonight, I mean we should all be aware of the confusion between this and the elusive/extant (dare I say 'extinct'!) Ivory Billed when searching for woodies in the Great Dismal Swamp or yonder for fear of being ridiculed on the basis of misidentification! Perhaps you could elaborate on the separating identification criteria between the two species lol.

Comment: We had pileated woodpeckers at our cottage; however they are not seen by me often now. I believe it is because some of the permanent residents used insecticides so that they would have lovely grass...Bah! There are many holes in the trees however, so we know that they were there. They are a beautiful bird to watch and listen to!

Comment: Wow, awesome video. I watched the whole thing this time, are you proud of me MVK? LOL. It's a wonder the woodpeckers don't break their beaks. Are they made of steel?

Comment: I would have said its pronounced PILL ee ay ted, but whatever, I love those birds. We have a fair number of them around our place.

MVK: http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=wY3Ya42TT-k

Comment: Some days those woodpeckers make by back yard sound like a jungle when they call and bang on the trees. Also try to fly in. Hang on the outside window just looking in really got close up views...

Comment: How big does 'Woody" get?

MVK: Measuring 16-19 inches long with a red crest and black bill. You'll find these birds in mature forest with large trees. Per wild-bird-watching.com

Comment: Love the picture at the end of the mating call video. Looks like pileated woodpeckers are related to the Heat Miser of the animated Christmas cartoon The Year Without a Santa Claus. Same hair style.

Critter Class – Pileated Woodpecker 2 9/19/2011

Comment: Just so I can say something on topic... I love to camp and I have been out in the Appalachian mountains twice this summer where I've seen red-headed woodpeckers. MVK, are there any other woodpeckers will red heads, or can I be fairly confident these were all Pileated Woodpeckers?

MVK: No - there is a downy, yellow-bellied, hairy - all have a red head - but not the red punk feather- do like the pileated.

Comment: Darcie, there are Red Headed Woodpeckers--absolutely beautiful birds! You may have seen some of them

Comment: Several smaller woodpeckers have red on their heads.

Comment: There is another woodpecker called the red headed woodpecker. The whole head is red, not just the top.

MVK: But not all frizzed up on top! LOL

Comment: Lesser/greater spotted woodpeckers also have red heads. If ever I see a spotted over here that's lost its spots and is having a bad hair day, I'll know what I'm looking at, thanks to you all :-).

Comment: My husband thinks these woodpeckers are extinct. What has he been reading???

MVK: The ivory billed woodpecker is thought to be extinct but some say they have seen one.

Comment: The red-bellied woodpecker, imho, has more red on its HEAD than on its belly!

MVK: I thought it was yellow-bellied - but then I have been known to make a few mistakes. LOL

Comment: Red-Headed Woodpecker is beautiful sleek. Pileated more macho. LOL

Critter Class – Pileated Woodpecker 3 9/19/2011 Comment: Pileated woodpeckers are not as abundant as they once were. There are lots in North Carolina I believe, but many fewer in other areas of habitat.

Comment: We have them here in Houston....seems they like to make noise on a Saturday morning when I am trying to sleep in!

Comment: The pileated looks a lot like the ivory billed, which are thought to be extinct.

Comment: We see these gorgeous (and huge) woodpeckers when we are visiting at our son's house up the northern part of Summit Co. in Ohio

Comment: I just saw 3 woodpeckers in one tree. Me and my brother, David, saw it and pointed them out to my dad. It was really cool listening and watching.. I rarely see 3 in the same spot.

Pileated Woodpecker and Young per Wild-Bird-Watching.com

Comment: Red headed also has three definite color bands...I have a family that every year brings their fledglings to my yard to feed...I also have downy and yellow bellied and I think hairy. Darcie, welcome...that is a cool story to tell!

MVK: The male Pileated has a red patch at the base of the bill whereas the female has a black patch at the base of the bill

Comment: We have Pileated in No. Mich. as well as Hairy and Downey.

MVK: The territory of these birds can be 150-200 acres. Signs of their presence can be detected by looking for 3-6 inch holes in trees. per WILD-BIRD-WATCHING.COM

Critter Class – Pileated Woodpecker 4 9/19/2011 Comment: Do Pileated Woodpeckers live in West Virginia?

MVK: Yes they do.

MVK: The female will lay 3-5 white eggs which will be incubated for 15-16 days by both the male and female birds. Both male and female will also feed the nestlings. After 24 - 28 days the young will leave the nest. Per Wild-Bird-Watching.com

MVK: The adults and their young will stay together until fall. During this time the adult birds will continue to feed them and teach them how to find their own food. Around September, the family will break up and the young will find territories of their own. Pileated Suet Feeder Common predators include: Black snakes, Coopers Hawk, Northern Goshawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Great Horned Owl, Squirrels

MVK: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbKR7s0Wymc&feature=player_embedded

Comment : How many babies can they have at one time??

Comment: I just watched the video of the mother feeding her young... the baby squawking endlessly demanding to be satisfied while its mom tried to deliver the goods. It was very reminiscent of EN/CN when NX hasn't checked in for a couple of days! LOL...

Comment: MVK, why do Woody and company peck holes in the wood? Is that their nature??

MVK: Bugs - they love carpenter ants and the ants are in the dead or dry wood.

Comment: Do the parents regurgitate their food to feed the young?

MVK: I was trying to find this but nothing tells me so far except the parents feed the young.

MVK: Just found it - yes they are fed by regurgitation.

Critter Class – Pileated Woodpecker 5 9/19/2011 MVK: They are monogamous!

Comment: Now what are their beaks made out of? Certainly not like our eagles?? :-)

MVK: Even though the woodpecker pounds for hours at a time, its head does not get hurt. Strong neck muscles give the woodpecker the power to pound. Its hard, pointed bill has a sharp edge to chip wood. Like a helmet, a thick skull and extra muscles cushion the brain, so it does not get hurt by pounding. A woodpecker can stick out its tongue farther than you can and farther than most birds. Its tongue stretches three times longer than the length of its bill. Its long tongue can reach deep into insect tunnels in tree trunks. Barbs on the tip of its tongue help a woodpecker grab insects. Barbs help a sapsucker lap up sap from trees. per dnr.state.mn.us

Comment: Was just going to answer the question about feeding, as shown in the video it is the same bobbing feeding that Cockatiels and other pet birds use to bring up food from the crop to feed the chicks .

Comment: Good evening, MVK and welcome Darcie. I have woodpeckers in my yard but the have black stripes. Do you know what types they are? How many types are in North America? Thanks.

Comment: I thought I saw the mother regurgitating in that video...

MVK: Yes - I did too - but wanted to make sure.

Comment: Is this Pileated Woodpecker the largest woodpecker with a red head ? About 14 yrs ago I was in Coastal GA , pulled out of my driveway and saw a gigantic woodpecker fly across to my neighbors . I was amazed ! I sat in the street just watching until he flew away . I kept thinking about Woody Woodpecker ! That bird was BIG !!

MVK: It is the largest woodpecker in most of North America. Comment: HI MVK! The thing that gets me is the size of these woodpeckers. They are as big as a crow.

MVK: Yes Keith - they are really large.

Critter Class – Pileated Woodpecker 6 9/19/2011 MVK: I believe Darcie asked if this was the red-headed woodpecker - some refer to the pileated as the red headed woodpecker but there is actually one by that name.

Red-Headed woodpecker Per Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Comment: Angie in MO- I have some ladderback woodpeckers on my suet feeders that have black stripes. They're about 8 inches tall.

Ladder-back woodpecker

Comment: I've noticed many different types of woodpeckers , including the redheaded but seeing that BIG woodpecker was something I'll never forget .

Critter Class – Pileated Woodpecker 7 9/19/2011 Comment: Ah, the Red-Headed Woodpecker has quite a lot of white on its body! I am confident now that the ones I saw in May were Pileated.. I was camping at Peaks of Otter on the Blue Ridge Parkway and there were two chasing each other through the forest near the campground.

MVK: I had a woodpecker who liked to wake me up every morning by banging on the vent pipe of my house - it sure woke me up!!!!

MVK: They love suet

Comment: I've had that ladder-back woodpecker going at it on a palm tree!

Comment: There was a program about the ivory billed woodpecker here a few years ago. Their call was being broadcast through the building and it was LOUD and harsh sounding. The people doing the program really believe it is in very dense woodlands. They told of saving a piece of land for wildlife by insisting the ivory billed was in there. They sent out a call and it was answered. They were questioned about whether it was a real call or recorded. The reply was it was there when it was needed. They saved the acres for wildlife!

Critter Class – Pileated Woodpecker 8 9/19/2011