View source for Biology:Pileated woodpecker

{{Short description|Species of bird}}
{{Speciesbox
| fossil_range = {{Fossil range|Late Pleistocene|present}}
| status = LC
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_ref = <ref>{{cite iucn |author=BirdLife International |date=2016 |title=''Hylatomus pileatus'' |page=e.T22681363A92903232 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22681363A92903232.en |access-date=18 January 2023}}</ref>
| image = PileatedWoodpeckerFeedingonTree, crop.jpg
| image2 = Pileated Woodpecker (9597212081), crop.jpg
| image2_caption = Male (top) and female (bottom)
| genus = Dryocopus
| species = pileatus
| authority = ([[Biography:Carl Linnaeus|Linnaeus]], [[Biology:10th edition of Systema Naturae|1758]])
| range_map = Dryocopus pileatus map.svg
| range_map_caption = Approximate distribution map
{{legend|#7137c8|Year-round}}
| range_map_alt = The range includes the United States, east of the Mississippi river, most of lower of Canada, extending up into the Northern Rocky Mountains, and down the Pacific Coast into central California
| synonyms = *''Picus pileatus'' {{small|Linnaeus,&nbsp;1758}}
*''Hylatomus pileatus'' {{small|Linnaeus,&nbsp;1758}}
}}

The '''pileated woodpecker''' ({{IPAc-en|'|p|aI|l|i|%|eI|t|@|d|_|w|U|d|p|E|k|@r|,_|p|I|-}}, '''''Dryocopus pileatus''''') is a large, mostly black [[Biology:Woodpecker|woodpecker]] native to North America. An [[Biology:Insectivore|insectivore]], it inhabits [[Biology:Deciduous|deciduous]] forests in eastern North America, the Great Lakes, the boreal forests of Canada, and parts of the Pacific Coast. It is the largest confirmed extant woodpecker species in North America, with the possible exception of the [[Biology:Ivory-billed woodpecker|ivory-billed woodpecker]], which the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed be reclassified as extinct. It is also the third largest species of woodpecker in the world, after the [[Biology:Great slaty woodpecker|great slaty woodpecker]] and the [[Biology:Black woodpecker|black woodpecker]]. "Pileated" refers to the bird's prominent red crest, from the Latin {{lang|la|pileatus}} meaning "capped".<ref>{{Cite web |url= https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/pileated_woodpecker |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180312143930/https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/pileated_woodpecker |url-status= dead |archive-date= March 12, 2018 |title= Pileated woodpecker}}</ref>

==Taxonomy==
The English naturalist Mark Catesby described and illustrated the pileated woodpecker in his book ''The Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands'' which was published between 1729 and 1732. Catesby used the English name "The larger red-crested Wood-pecker" and the Latin ''Picus niger maximus capite rubro''.<ref>{{ cite book | last=Catesby  | first=Mark |  year=1729–1732 | title=The Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands | volume=1 | place=London | publisher=W. Innys and R. Manby | page=17, Plate 17 | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/40753169}}</ref> When in 1758 the Swedish naturalist [[Biography:Carl Linnaeus|Carl Linnaeus]] updated his ''[[Biology:Systema Naturae|Systema Naturae]]'' for the [[Biology:10th edition of Systema Naturae|tenth edition]], he included the pileated woodpecker, coined the [[Biology:Binomial nomenclature|binomial name]] ''Picus pileatus'' and cited Catesby's book.<ref>{{cite book | last=Linnaeus | first=Carl | author-link=Carl Linnaeus | year=1758 | title= Systema Naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis | volume=1 | edition=10th | page=113 | publisher=Laurentii Salvii | place=Holmiae (Stockholm) | language=la | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/727018 }}</ref> The specific epithet ''pileatus'' is a Latin word meaning "-capped".<ref>{{cite book | last=Jobling | first=James A. | year=2010| title=The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names | url=https://archive.org/details/helmdictionarysc00jobl_997 | url-access=limited | publisher=Christopher Helm | location=London | isbn=978-1-4081-2501-4 | page=[https://archive.org/details/helmdictionarysc00jobl_997/page/n306 306] }}</ref> The type locality is South Carolina.<ref>{{ cite book | editor-last=Peters | editor-first=James Lee |  year=1948 | title=Check-List of Birds of the World | volume=6 | publisher=Harvard University Press | place=Cambridge, Massachusetts  | page=154 | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/14477587 }}</ref> The pileated woodpecker is now one of six species that the International Ornithological Committee and the Clements taxonomy place in genus ''[[Biology:Dryocopus|Dryocopus]]''. The North American Classification Committee of the American Ornithological Society concurs for the pileated and lineated woodpeckers, the only two of the six that occur in Central and North America.<ref name=IOC13.1>{{cite web |url=https://www.worldbirdnames.org/new/bow/woodpeckers/ |title=Woodpeckers |website=IOC World Bird List |version =v 13.1 |editor-last1=Gill |editor-first1= F. |editor-last2=Donsker|editor-first2=D.|editor-last3=Rasmussen |editor-first3=P. |date=January 2023 |access-date=January 31, 2023 }}</ref><ref name=Clements2022>Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, S. M. Billerman, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2022. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2022. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/ retrieved November 10, 2022</ref><ref name=NACC>Chesser, R. T., S. M. Billerman, K. J. Burns, C. Cicero, J. L. Dunn, B. E. Hernández-Baños, R. A. Jiménez, A. W. Kratter, N. A. Mason, P. C. Rasmussen, J. V. Remsen, Jr., D. F. Stotz, and K. Winker. 2022. Check-list of North American Birds (online). American Ornithological Society. https://checklist.aou.org/taxa</ref> However, [[Organization:BirdLife International|BirdLife International]]'s ''[[Handbook of the Birds of the World]]'' (HBW) places the pileated and several others in genus ''Hylatomus''.<ref name=HBW7>HBW and BirdLife International (2022) Handbook of the Birds of the World and BirdLife International digital checklist of the birds of the world. Version 7. Available at: http://datazone.birdlife.org/userfiles/file/Species/Taxonomy/HBW-BirdLife_Checklist_v7_Dec22.zip retrieved December 13, 2022</ref> Genus ''Dryocopus'' was introduced by the German naturalist Friedrich Boie in 1826.<ref>{{ cite journal | last=Boie | first=Friedrich | author-link=Friedrich Boie | year=1826 | title=Generalübersicht | journal=Isis von Oken | volume=19 | at=Col 977| language=de |url=https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/27511180 }}</ref><ref name=IOC13.1/>

Two [[Biology:Subspecies|subspecies]] are recognized:<ref name=IOC13.1/>
* ''D. p. abieticola'' {{small|(Bangs, 1898)}} – '''northern pileated woodpecker''',{{citation needed|date=August 2020}} southern Canada south through the western, north-central and northeastern United States
* ''D. p. pileatus'' {{small|(Linnaeus, 1758)}} – '''southern pileated woodpecker''',{{citation needed|date=August 2020}} the southeastern United States

==Description==
[[File:111 Pileated Woodpecker, b.jpg|left|thumb|upright|Plate 111 of the'' Birds of America'' by John James Audubon, depicting pileated woodpeckers (1 ♀, 3 ♂♂)]]
Adults are {{convert|40|to|49|cm|in|abbr=on}} long, span {{convert|66|to|75|cm|in|abbr=on}} across the wings, and weigh {{convert|225|to|400|g|oz|abbr=on}}. The average weight of females and males combined is about {{convert|277|g|oz|abbr=on}}, with males weighing about {{convert|300|g|oz|abbr=on}} and females weighing about {{convert|256|g|oz|abbr=on}} in mean body mass. The [[Biology:Wing chord|wing chord]] measures {{convert|21.4|to|25.3|cm|in|abbr=on}}, the tail measures {{convert|14.0|to|17.4|cm|in|abbr=on}}, the bill is {{convert|4.1|to|6.0|cm|in|abbr=on}} and the tarsus measures {{convert|3.1| to|3.8|cm|in|abbr=on}}.<ref name="Winkler">''Woodpeckers: An Identification Guide to the Woodpeckers of the World'' by Hans Winkler, David A. Christie & David Nurney. Houghton Mifflin (1995), {{ISBN|978-0395720431}}</ref><ref>Bull, E. L. and J. A. Jackson (2020). ''Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus)'', version 1.0. In Birds of the World (A. F. Poole, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA.</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=CRC Handbook of Avian Body Masses |edition=2nd |editor-first=John B. Jr. |editor-last=Dunning |publisher=CRC Press |year=2008 |isbn=978-1-4200-6444-5}}</ref> The northern subspecies is generally slightly larger than the southern. Pileated woodpeckers are mainly black with a red crest, and have a white line down the sides of the throat. Younger specimens tend to have less curved crests, or "mohawks" as some refer to them. They show white on the wings in flight. The flight of these birds is strong and direct, but undulates in the way characteristic of woodpeckers. Adult males have a red line from the bill to the throat; in adult females these are black.<ref name=NW>[http://www.nhptv.org/NatureWorks/pileatedwoodpecker.htm Pileated Woodpecker], Nature Works</ref> Two species found in the [[Earth:Old World|Old World]], the [[Biology:White-bellied woodpecker|white-bellied woodpecker]] (''D. javensis'') and [[Biology:Black woodpecker|black woodpecker]]s (''D. martius''), are closely related and occupy the same [[Biology:Ecological niche|ecological niche]] in their respective ranges that the pileated occupies in North America.<ref name="Winkler"/> The only North American birds of similar plumage and size are the [[Biology:Ivory-billed woodpecker|ivory-billed woodpecker]] of the southeastern United States and Cuba, and the related [[Biology:Imperial woodpecker|imperial woodpecker]] of Mexico.

==Distribution and habitat==
The pileated woodpecker's breeding habitat is forested areas across Canada, the eastern United States, and parts of the Pacific Coast. This bird favors mature forests and heavily wooded parks. They specifically prefer [[Biology:Mesic habitat|mesic habitat]]s with large, mature hardwood trees, often being found in large tracts of forest. However, they also inhabit smaller woodlots as long as they have a scattering of tall trees. Efforts to restore woodland by removing invasive [[Biology:Honeysuckle|honeysuckle]] and [[Biology:Rhamnus (plant)|buckthorn]] seem to benefit them, as the removal of brush and shrubbery facilitates their foraging on the ground and in the lower stratum.<ref name="garc">{{cite web |last1=Garcia |first1=Evan |title=More Pileated Woodpeckers: Emerald Ash Borer or Healthier Habitat? |url=https://chicagotonight.wttw.com/2016/04/07/more-pileated-woodpeckers-emerald-ash-borer-or-healthier-habitat |publisher=Chicago Tonight |date = 7 April 2016 |access-date=28 August 2018}}</ref> From 1966 to 2015 the population of pileated woodpecker has, on average, increased by greater than 1.5% per year throughout the northeastern U.S., the Maritimes, the Ohio River Valley, and around the Great Lakes.<ref>{{cite web |title=Pileated Woodpecker Dryocopus pileatus |url=https://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/bbs/tr2015/trend2015_v3.html |website=Patuxent Wildlife Research Center |publisher=U.S. Geological Survey |access-date=2019-01-02}}</ref>

==Behavior and ecology==
[[File:Pileated Woodpecker male.jpg|thumb|Male drilling for food]]

Pileated woodpeckers mainly eat insects, especially [[Biology:Carpenter ant|carpenter ant]]s and wood-boring beetle larvae. They also eat fruits, nuts, and berries, including [[Biology:Poison ivy|poison ivy]] berries.<ref>Beal, F.E. (1895). ''Preliminary report on the food of Woodpeckers.'' United States Department of Agriculture. Division of Ornithology and Mammalogy. Bulletin No. 7. Government Printing Office. Washington, District of Columbia. p. 32.</ref> Pileated woodpeckers often chip out large and roughly rectangular holes in trees while searching out insects, especially ant colonies.<ref name=NW/> They also lap up ants by reaching with their long tongues into crevices. They are self-assured on the vertical surfaces of large trees, but can seem awkward while feeding on small branches and vines.  They may also forage on or near the ground, especially around fallen, dead trees, which can contain a variety of insect life. They may forage around the sides of human homes or even cars, and can be observed feeding at suet-type feeders. Although they are less likely feeder visitors than smaller woodpeckers, pileateds may regularly be attracted to them in areas experiencing harsh winter conditions.

Usually, pileated woodpeckers excavate their large nests in the cavities of dead trees. Woodpeckers make such large holes in dead trees that the holes can cause a small tree to break in half. The roost of a pileated woodpecker usually has multiple entrance holes. In April, the hole made by the male attracts a female for mating and raising their young. Once the brood is raised, the birds abandon the hole and do not use it the next year. When abandoned, these holes—made similarly by all woodpeckers—provide good homes in future years for many forest songbirds and a wide variety of other animals. Owls and tree-nesting ducks may largely rely on holes made by pileateds to lay their nests. Even mammals such as raccoons may use them. Other woodpeckers and smaller birds, such as wrens, may be attracted to pileated holes to feed on the insects found in them. Ecologically, the entire woodpecker family is important to the well-being of many other bird species. The pileated woodpecker also nests in boxes about {{convert|4.6|m|ft|abbr=on}} off the ground.

{{listen|filename=Pileated Woodpecker.ogg|left|title=call}}
{{listen|filename=Dryocopus pileatus - Pileated Woodpecker - XC71727.ogg|left|title=display drum (a short burst of 10 taps)}}

A pileated woodpecker pair stays together on its territory all year round and is not migratory. They defend the territory in all seasons, but tolerate floaters during the winter.<ref>[http://canadianbiodiversity.mcgill.ca/english/species/birds/birdpages/dry_pil.htm Pileated Woodpecker], Canadian Biodiversity Web Site</ref> When clashing with conspecifics, they engage in much chasing, calling, striking with the wings, and jabbing with the bill. Drumming is most common during courtship and to proclaim territory. Hollow trees are often used to make the most resonant sound possible. The pattern is typically a fairly slow, deep rolling that lasts about three seconds.<ref>{{cite web |title=Pileated Woodpecker |url=https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Pileated_Woodpecker/sounds |website=Big Woods Conservation Partnership |publisher=Cornell University |date=2018 |access-date=7 February 2022}}</ref>

Pileated woodpeckers have been observed to move to another site if any eggs have fallen out of the nest—a rare habit in birds. The cavity is unlined except for wood chips. Both parents incubate three to five eggs for 12 to 16 days. The average clutch size is four per nest. The young may take a month to fledge.<ref>[http://talkaboutwildlife.ca/profile/?s=191 Pileated Woodpecker], Talk about Wildlife {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706210329/http://talkaboutwildlife.ca/profile/?s=191 |date=July 6, 2011 }}</ref> The oldest known pileated woodpecker was 12 years and 11 months old. Predators at the nest can include American and Pacific martens, weasels, squirrels, [[Biology:Rat snake|rat snake]]s, and [[Biology:Gray fox|gray fox]]es. Free-flying adults have fewer predators, but can be taken in some numbers by [[Biology:Cooper's hawk|Cooper's hawk]]s, [[Biology:Northern goshawk|northern goshawk]]s, [[Biology:Red-shouldered hawk|red-shouldered hawk]]s, [[Biology:Red-tailed hawk|red-tailed hawk]]s, great horned owls, [[Biology:Bald eagle|bald eagle]]s, golden eagles and barred owls.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pileatedwoodpeckercentral.com/information.htm |access-date=June 20, 2012| title=Pileated Woodpecker |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120717065851/http://www.pileatedwoodpeckercentral.com/information.htm |archive-date=July 17, 2012 }}</ref>

==Status==
The pileated woodpecker occupies an extensive range and is quite adaptable. Its ability to survive in many wooded habitat types has allowed the species to survive human habitation of North America much better than the more specialized ivory-billed woodpecker. Pileated woodpeckers have a large population size, and despite being nonmigratory, are protected under the U.S. Migratory Bird Act. While the large birds control many insect populations, especially tree beetles, that may otherwise experience outbreaks; some people may consider them harmful if found on their property due to the considerable damage that pileated woodpeckers can do to trees and homes.

==Cultural references==
Cartoonist Walter Lantz is believed to have based the appearance of his creation Woody Woodpecker on the pileated woodpecker; while patterning the call on the [[Biology:Acorn woodpecker|acorn woodpecker]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=101665227 |title=Woody The Acorn (Not Pileated) Woodpecker |website=NPR.org |publisher=NPR |access-date=2011-09-14}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= https://abcbirds.org/bird/pileated-woodpecker/ |title= Pileated Woodpecker |date= 29 May 2020  |publisher= American Bird Conservancy }}</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery mode="nolines" heights="180" widths="180">
File:Pileated-at-platform-feeder.jpg|Male on a platform feeder
File:PileatedWoodpeckerOnLog1.jpg|Adult female at an [[Biology:Camponotus|ant]]-infested log
File:PileatedWoodpeckerPair.jpg|Mating pair
File:Pileated Woodpecker eating suet.ogv|Male pileated woodpecker eating suet
File:PileatedWoodpeckerNest.jpg|Female chicks peeking from nest cavity
File:Pileated Woodpecker!, crop.jpg|Male in flight
File:Tree damage from a pileated woodpecker.jpg|Damage to a tree by a pileated woodpecker searching for bugs, a cavity roughly 3' tall, 4-6" wide, and 8" deep (90{{px2}}×{{px2}}10-15{{px2}}×{{px2}}20&nbsp;cm)
</gallery>

==See also==
* [[Biology:Ivory-billed woodpecker|Ivory-billed woodpecker]]
* [[Biology:Black woodpecker|Black woodpecker]]
* [[Biology:Great slaty woodpecker|Great slaty woodpecker]]
* [[Biology:Imperial woodpecker|Imperial woodpecker]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}
* [http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Pileated_Woodpecker.html Pileated Woodpecker Species Account] – Cornell Lab of Ornithology
*[http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Dryocopus_pileatus.html Dryocopus pileatus- University of Michigan Species Account] by Diana Young

==External links==
*{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20001026183706/http://www.bird-stamps.org/cspecies/10416700.htm Pileated woodpecker stamps at bird-stamps.org]}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20120112040910/http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/wwwsounds/birds/hardy36sh.wav Pileated woodpecker sound at Florida Museum of Natural History]
* {{InternetBirdCollection|pileated-woodpecker-dryocopus-pileatus|Pileated woodpecker}}
* {{VIREO|Pileated+woodpecker|Pileated woodpecker}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q930712}}

[[Category:Dryocopus|pileated woodpecker]]

{{Sourceattribution|Pileated woodpecker}}