JoeGBirder
Photography and birding enjoyer
Pileated Woodpeckers, the largest woodpeckers (if the Ivory-Billed Woodpecker is extinct, as it most likely is) are striking and unmistakable birds native to North America. There are a few details that help you figure out what the age or gender of the bird is. I will be using photos to help further explain these differences.
AGE -
There are two ways to tell the age of a Pileated Woodpecker. Although you can tell whether or not it is an adult, it is hard to know the exact year it is in (unlike other birds like many hawks and eagles). The best thing to look for is the structure of the crest. Adults will have fully pointed, smooth red crests. Juvenile woodpeckers, however, have shaggier and less flattened-out crests. The other thing to look for is, occasionally, color. Juveniles will sometimes be a duller color than adults.
GENDER -
There are two differences between male and female woodpeckers. Males will have a red chin strap extending from the bill unlike the other stripes, while females will sport black stripes only. Male crests will also extend all the way to the forehead, but female crests will only extend to around above the eye.
AGE -
There are two ways to tell the age of a Pileated Woodpecker. Although you can tell whether or not it is an adult, it is hard to know the exact year it is in (unlike other birds like many hawks and eagles). The best thing to look for is the structure of the crest. Adults will have fully pointed, smooth red crests. Juvenile woodpeckers, however, have shaggier and less flattened-out crests. The other thing to look for is, occasionally, color. Juveniles will sometimes be a duller color than adults.
GENDER -
There are two differences between male and female woodpeckers. Males will have a red chin strap extending from the bill unlike the other stripes, while females will sport black stripes only. Male crests will also extend all the way to the forehead, but female crests will only extend to around above the eye.
