Pileated Woodpeckers

[Pinesmoke]

Down here I have 2 pairs of Pileated Woodpeckers, beautiful birds. Big birds.

I was in the woods a while back and one landed on a tree about 5 feet from me and we stared at each other for about a minute. This guy was a solid 14"-16" inches tall. Both pairs are that size.

They hammer a rectangular hole, I've read, and they sound like hammering a nail when they work.

I just found this.

 

[mpaul]

Yep I have pileated woodpeckers all around my home. They are seriously loud when they are at work.

 

[peakbagger]

Just remember, they dont kill trees, if they are knocking a hole in a tree they are going for bugs that are already inside. Once they mate they are very secretive about where the nest is located.

 

[stoveliker]

Beautiful birds indeed.
And indeed that hole there was made because of the juicy goodies that were there.

 

[begreen]

Cool birds. It's what Woody Woodpecker is styled on. We leave some old dead trees standing for nesting and food for them. I heard one hammering away yesterday.

A woodpecker's tongue wraps around its head. When a woodpecker pecks, these tongue bones are retracted and stabilize the skull, providing musculo-sketal support. These also protect its brain from over 1000g of force when it's hammering away by absorbing the shock.


This is picture by a friend of one that was in the neighborhood. They're big birds!

 

[Pinesmoke]

Beautiful birds indeed.
And indeed that hole there was made because of the juicy goodies that were there.

There are lots goodies here for them.

 

[marty319]

Old picture but lots around here

 

[pettibone]

We've had a pair on our suet feeder this winter, never had them on the feeder before. One on it this morning. Kinda crappy pic taken from in the house and trying to zoom in.

 

[NickW]

Yes, absolutely love them. Their call is very distinctive and they don't leave wood chips, they leave wood chunks... In The Northwoods I see them daily, here in SE WI I usually only occasionally see them out deer hunting.

 

[vatmark]

We have them here. We see them all the time. Their call is loud and sounds like something you would hear in the jungle. We had a guy who carves wood with a chainsaw make us a wood carving with them. He carved a male and a female. We had him do a Bluebird as well which we have here too which I have rescued from our stove a number of times. He did a really nice job.