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Pileated Woodpecker

Al Lowe
Contributor

This is by far the largest of the woodpeckers of Northern Ontario, and certainly the most impressive. As big as a crow, black with white lines on face and neck, and with a flaming red crest, this is a bird which cannot go unnoticed, even by the most casual passer-by.
The word ‘pileated’ comes from the Latin pileatus, meaning crested. This was translated into its scientific name, Dryocopus pileatus in 1758, then back into English. Early settlers called it the Log-cock, cock-of-the-woods and so on. They also hunted it as a game bird for many years.
This woodpecker always makes its own nest, and almost always in a tall dead tree. It is typically 50 feet up, with an entryway about 4 inches in diameter, and the hole itself about 2 feet deep. If you find one of these nests you will nearly always find the birds as well. Old woodpecker nests come in very handy for other species such as owls, squirrel’s and the tree-nesting ducks.
Although you may not see the bird itself as you walk in the woods, you must surely see evidence of it. Look for large holes several inches wide and deep in the bases of dead trees. If there are big chips around (up to three inches across) then this is the work of the Pileated Woodpecker. He will also dig into live trees, sometimes to their detriment. However, the food which he is after is made up of grubs, beetles, ants and worms of various kinds, and he plays a good part in keeping injurious insects under control in the woods.
This bird is not a very good flyer, beating its wings rather heavily and noisily as it flies off through the woods. It rarely flies in open areas unless it has to, and then seldom above the level of the tree-tops. The only natural enemies which this bird has are the fast hawks, which can easily catch it in open flight.
To attract these birds in the winter, suet is a good bet. They are, however, strong enough to tear apart the wire which most people use for bird suet. They are constantly on the alert, swinging their heads continually from one side to the other, peering around both sides of the tree trunks.
They do advertise their presence, especially in the spring, by hammering the daylights out of hollow log or trees. This makes an impressive drum-roll which reverberates through the woods, advising everyone that the Pileated Woodpecker is alive and well, and at home in the northern forest.