From Opus

Female (left) and Male exploring hole in tree. Dark eye of female indicates juvenile
Photo by m3ling
Bartlesville, Oklahoma, March 2006

Dryocopus pileatus

[edit] Identification

L. 40-49 cm Weight 250-350 g

• Crow-sized
• Black
• Red crest
• White line down the sides of the throat
• Red malar stripe and forehead in male; black malar stripe and pale forehead in female
  

Juvenile like adult except for dark eye

[edit] Confusion Species

Ivory-billed Woodpecker and Imperial Woodpecker, both of which are thought to be extinct

Photo by AForns
Everglades National Park, Florida, May 2008

[edit] Distribution

Canada, the eastern United States and parts of the Pacific coast.

[edit] Taxonomy

[edit] Subspecies^[1]

Two subspecies are recognized: albieticola in most of the range (south British Columbia to central California and north-eastern US
pileatus in south-east US, (Illinois to Florida).

[edit] Habitat

Mature forests

[edit] Behaviour

[edit] Breeding

Nests are excavated in the cavities of dead trees.

[edit] Diet

Includes insects (especially beetle larvae and carpenter ants) as well as fruits, berries and nuts. Large, oval shaped cavities act as clues to the bird's presence.

[edit] Voice

A loud, wild kekekekekekekekekeke

[edit] References

1. Clements, JF. 2008. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2008. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019. Spreadsheet available at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist.
2. BF Member observations

• List of references

[edit] External Links