Pileated Woodpecker - Blog Posts

You ever see a Pileated Woodpecker on the ground? Me neither, but this guy was about as close as he could get to it.

[ID: A Pileated Woodpecker sits on a rotting log. It's the largest species of Woodpecker in Wisconsin, almost as large as a crow. They are over a foot long and have a wingspan of more than two feet. They are almost all black on the body, tail, and wings, with black and white striping lengthwise along the neck and face. Both males and females have a large red crest that sweeps back off the top of the head. Males like this one have a red "mustache" stripe on either side of the mouth, while females have a black stripe there. This one is looking off to the right, allowing for a good view of his pointy beak, almost as long as the rest of his head. End ID]

I was wandering Bill's Woods at the UW Lakeshore Nature Preserve with my family this past August when I spotted this enormous creature. He was digging around in a dead fall about 20 feet from the path, clearly looking for delicious bugs. He was not bothered by my excited whisper of "Pileated!!" to alert my partner and child, and kept at his digging for a minute while I adjusted my camera for the very shady scene.

[ID: The Pileated Woodpecker continues to dig around in an open cavity in the dead fall. In this photo he is facing away from the camera and has momentarily lifted his head to look around. End ID]

My kid was not impressed and continued down the path, allowing his mother only a brief look before she too had to move on to keep him in sight. The Pileated then flew to the base of a large tree to pick around a bit more. Finding nothing of interest, he decided to cross the path, flying about 5 feet above my head!

[ID: The Pileated Woodpecker clings to the base of a large tree. This photo offers a better look at his unusual feet, with two toes pointing forward and two pointing backward. This adaptation helps the bird more easily grab onto to the sides of trees and hop from place to place, using his stiff tail as the third "leg"of the tripod. End ID]

I have a funny relationship with these skittish birds. It seems like they almost never want to show themselves, preferring to call and drum from thick woods. But then they pick the oddest times to show up and act as though us humans are just part of the scenery.