Species Profile of Pileated Woodpecker

(Dryocopus pileatus)

by Ken Steffenson

Observations in and Around the West Hylebos Wetlands

My personal best sighting of a pileated woodpecker was in the Hylebos Wetlands. A few years ago, while side-tracking on what used to be known as the “Primitive Trail,” I was pausing near the huge spruce trees deep in the woods when I saw a magnificent pileated on a nearby tree. It was hacking away at the thick moss on the trunk about 15 feet up, and only 20 or so feet away from me.

I watched mesmerized as the bird tore huge chunks of moss and bark from the tree, seeking the succulent insects hiding inside. I watched for five or ten minutes as he or she made a sizeable excavation in the side of the tree. When the bird finally flew away, I could only be amazed at the work it had done in such a short time. I’ve seen pileated woodpeckers numerous other times in the Hylebos, and all around the Federal Way area.

Description

This large woodpecker, the largest in North America, is about 16 inches in length, and appears mostly black when perched. It has a white chin stripe, white cheek stripe that extends down under the wings, dark bill, and very noticeable bright-red crest (less extensive on the females).

Classification and Close Relatives

Kingdom: Animalia; Phylum: Chordata; Subphylum: Vertebrata; Class: Aves; Order: Piciformes; Family: Picidae; Genus: Dryocopus; Species: pileatus.

The pileated woodpecker’s closest relative, the ivory-billed woodpecker (Campephilus principalis), once found in the American mid-south, is now thought to be extinct. Although downy and hairy woodpeckers can be seen in the Hylebos area, they are not in the same genus as the pileated.

Ecological Lifestyle

This woodpecker’s breeding season begins in March and extends through May. Both parents excavate a cavity in a snag, anywhere up to 80 feet up. They line the hole with wood chips, and the female lays 3-5 eggs that are incubated by both parents (the male at night, the female during the day). They incubate for 12-18 days, and the young fledge about 28 days after hatching.

Pileated woodpeckers feed mainly on the carpenter ants and wood-boring beetle larvae that they excavate in distinctive rectangular holes, and also will eat wild fruits and nuts and will occasionally appear at suet feeders. After digging their holes in trees, they use their pointed tongue and sticky saliva to gather the ants and larvae from their tunnels.

Hammer Heads and Mega-Tongues

Like all woodpeckers, the pileated woodpeckers’ foraging is made possible by a unique skull construction. The brain case is enlarged, and the front of the skull is folded toward the bill, to act as a shock absorber. Strong muscles behind the bill also help absorb the constant pounding a woodpecker’s cranium takes. The bill of the pileated woodpecker is chisel-shaped and somewhat stronger than other woodpeckers because of the exceptionally vigorous pounding their heads are subjected to.

Pileated woodpeckers are able to extend their tongues farther than many other bird species, to enable them to reach into the cavities they excavate in search of food. Woodpeckers (and hummingbirds) do this by means of an exceptionally long hyoid apparatus, a set of bones and muscles connected to, and controlling, the tongue. In woodpeckers, the hyoid apparatus stretches around the entire skull. When extended, the hyoid apparatus pushes the tongue forward out of the bird’s bill.

Geographical Distribution, Habitat and Current Status

Their range in the United States covers the eastern half of the country, and the northwest states south to northern California.
Pileateds prefer mature, dense coniferous or deciduous forests. They usually nest in wet areas, close to streams or rivers.

Because pileated woodpeckers are becoming more tolerant of second-growth forests for nesting areas, they are doing fairly well, and are not listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act. However, recent United States Fish and Wildlife studies have shown a recent decline in populations, so continued monitoring is warranted.

Friends' member Ken Steffenson is the Publications and Website Director for the Washington Toxics Coalition.