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Posted By: Bill Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus) - June 3rd, 2005 at 05:24 PM
The Pileated Woodpecker is the largest woodpecker found in North America. Mature adults are 14-16 inches in length. They are primarily found in forested areas of the southern Canadian Provinces, and in the US western states, eastern states, and along the Gulf coast.

The Pileated Woodpecker's diet consists of insects, fruit and nuts. They use their sharp bill to probe beneath the bark of trees in search of ant colonies which they extract using their long sticky tongue. They also use their bills to drum on hollow trees to claim their territory, and to excavate large holes in trees for nesting and roosting.

The female lays four eggs after which both parents tend to them until they hatch in about 16 days.

Pileated Woodpeckers spend most of their time in the trees, but on occasion they can be seen hopping around on the ground in search of carpenter ants and other tasty tidbits!


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grinnnn [Linked Image] This is a Cedar Hill bird!
Posted By: plants 'n pots Re: Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus) - June 3rd, 2005 at 05:56 PM
Wow - great pictures, Bill!!!

We had a pair of woody woodpeckers like that in our yard, a few years back, for a fleeting moment - it was sooooo exciting!
Posted By: tkhooper Re: Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus) - June 3rd, 2005 at 06:23 PM
Hey Bill, is that one confused. It looks like it's hugging your "aluminum"(?) ladder. It's probably just my bad eye sight playing tricks on my again. But it makes for an amusing picture lol. Thanks for sharing.
Posted By: Anonymous Re: Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus) - June 4th, 2005 at 02:32 PM
Cool Shots,Bill!

We have them in our area and I see them all the time. They are big,beautiful birds.

Did you hear the news about their close cousin,the Ivory-Billed Woodpecker.
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Thought to be extinct since 1944.
Rediscovery of extinct Woodpecker

G-Mom grinnnn
Posted By: bmonchka Re: Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus) - October 8th, 2005 at 12:11 AM
For more information on the Pileated Woodpecker, visit "Pileated Woodpecker Central" - http://www.pileatedwoodpeckercentral.com.
Posted By: melcon6 Re: Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus) - October 8th, 2005 at 01:53 AM
Awesome pictures, Bill!! thumbup

I love those Pileated woodpeckers, one afternoon three of them came to a tree in my front yard and went 'round and 'round that tree for like a 1/2 hour playing or something. It was so delightful watching them.
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