![]() Entrance holes to the nest are about 3.5 inches in diameter. Nesting sites tend to be 15 to 70 feet up on dead or dying trees. Pileated woodpecker pairs share territory, but roost separately, often with individual cavities within the same tree. Due to their size, pileated woodpeckers choose large snags or living trees, selecting based on diameter, height, and state of decay. ![]() The pileated woodpecker is a “ primary excavator,” which means it creates its own roosting and nesting cavities. Large cavity nesters like fishers (large weasels) especially depend on the excavating work of pileated woodpeckers. They also help provide easier foraging and nesting access for other species, like tree-dwelling ducks, bats, owls, squirrels, and other species. By exposing trees to heart-rot fungi, pileated woodpeckers support the decay and nutrient-cycling processes of a healthy forest. One reason that the pileated woodpecker is such an influential species in the forests of the Pacific Northwest is because it is the only woodpecker in this region that can gouge into hard, healthy wood. This means the forests that pileated woodpeckers inhabit would be “dramatically different” without them-or “may cease to exist altogether.” Other keystone species in this region include beaver, sea otter, and chinook salmon. Pileated woodpeckers have a “ special appetite” for the carpenter ants that live in decayed heartwood of living trees.Īlthough a pileated woodpecker is a relatively rare sight in Western Washington, it is considered to be a keystone species in our forests. Up to 60% of a pileated woodpecker’s diet is made up of carpenter ants, but it will also consume beetle larvae, other insects, fruit, and nuts. Pileated woodpeckers chip out characteristically large oval and rectangular shaped excavations, sometimes tearing apart stumps and large sections of logs-they have even been known to bring down trees! During breeding and nesting periods from March to July, pileated woodpeckers may begin many different cavity excavations, but usually complete just one nest cavity for the season. With pairs mating for life, pileated woodpecker “courtship” begins in the early spring-you will likely hear even more of the trademark drumming around this time of the year. They have a relatively long lifespan of 12 years. The pileated woodpecker is a resilient species that has adapted well to living near humans, preferring moist, wooded habitats-ideally old growth or second growth forests. ![]() While pileated woodpeckers usually remain out of sight, their loud, alarm-like call and drum-like drilling can often be heard throughout our coastal forests. Woody sounds like a pileated woodpecker to me.) You can decide for yourself compare the call of a pileated woodpecker with that of an acorn woodpecker, and then listen to Woody. Lantz himself reported to have taken inspiration from the acorn woodpecker. (There is some controversy behind this claim, though. The pileated woodpecker’s bright red crest and high-pitched, some may say maniacal, call are said to have inspired cartoonist Walter Lantz’s most famous creation, Woody the Woodpecker. The easiest way to identify a pileated woodpecker, though, is by its loud and chattering call. When in flight, pileated woodpeckers can be identified by their large black wings with white “ moons” on the underside of each wing. Females look similar to males, with a yellowish-brown patch in front of their red crest and without the red “ mustache” markings. ![]() Males are recognizable from their bright red tufted “cap” and red and white markings along both sides of their face. ![]() Olympic Coast National Marine SanctuaryĪbout the size of a crow, the pileated woodpecker is the largest woodpecker in North America. ![]()
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