The Nugget Newspaper - News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon

The Pileated Woodpecker (dryocopus pileatus) is home in a mature forest with dead snags that become large drums for the majestic woody.

Whether for proclaiming territory, communicating, or chipping out a nest, decaying trees are essential for a healthy population of the largest species of woodpecker in North America. With a body length of 15 to 19 inches and a 29-inch wingspan, they have a home territory of 320 to 600 acres.

Both parents excavate the 10-to-24-inch-deep nest, which requires three to six weeks, with wood chips providing the only nest lining. Two to five white eggs are laid in April or May and hatch in 15 to 18 days. The parents take turns brooding and feeding the young until fledging occurs in 24 to 30 days.

When there are three or more hatchlings the parents will be very careful to equally feed each the same amount of regurgitated food.

Pileated Woodpeckers’ diet consists mainly of carpenter ants, termites, grasshoppers, and many forest berries, including poison oak. The definition of pileated is “capped,” from the crest at the top of the head to the bill and nape. A group of Pileated Woodpeckers is collectively known as a “crown” of woodpeckers.

To view more images of the pileateds, visit http://abirdsingsbecauseithasasong.com/recent-journeys.