Pileated woodpeckers are common throughout the Eastern United States, lower Canada, and the Pacific Northwest. These large birds are easily identifiable.
Of the most common species of woodpeckers in the United States, pileated woodpeckers are the largest as well. This is also the only species of woodpecker found north of Mexico that has a very pronounced red crest (presuming that the ivory-billed woodpecker is extinct or too rare to be seen), making bird identification easy.
Description of the Pileated Woodpecker, the Largest Woodpecker in America
Pileated woodpeckers (Dryocopus pileatus) are some of the most common birds in forested areas in much of the US and Canada. These common woodpeckers have black bodies with white streaks on their necks, and the male has a crest that is entirely red, while the female's crest is gray in the front. The male bird also has a red streak on each side of his cheek. Pileated woodpeckers are the largest in the United States (unless the ivory-billed woodpecker has not gone extinct), and they grow to about 16.5 inches in length. They can be heard calling "ke ke ke ke ke ke ke."
Habitat and Distribution of the Pileated Woodpecker
Pileated woodpeckers live in the eastern half of the United States, and also in much of Montana, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, and California, and in most of Southern Canada as well. They can be found in forested areas from coastal pine forests to deciduous and mountainous coniferous ones. These common woodpeckers do not migrate, and can be found throughout their range throughout the year. They feed on grubs and other insect larvae that they find behind the bark of trees, and these birds nest in holes in trees.
Birds Similar to the Pileated Woodpecker
No other woodpecker in the United States or Canada looks much like the pileated, except for the possibly extinct ivory-billed woodpecker. This bird is significantly larger, and has more black on the face, if it is still around. There are numerous species found in Central and South America that look very similar to the pileated woodpecker, but their ranges do not cross. The pileated is the only woodpecker common to the United States and Canada that is large and has a noticeable crest.
Pileated woodpeckers, unlike their endangered or extinct relatives, ivory-billed woodpeckers, do not require large expanses of uninterrupted forest to survive. They can live very close to human civilization, and are at times found right in the backyard, or even at the bird feeder on the porch. Bird identification for these birds is very easy.
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