Birds · Piciformes · Picidae

Pileated Woodpecker

Dryocopus pileatus

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

One of the largest woodpeckers in North America, black-plumaged with a striking red crest and white markings on the face and neck. It belongs to the same genus as the European black woodpecker, with which it shares its size and the power of its drumming.

Weight

364 g on average

Size

40 cm – 49 cm

Diet

Insectivore

Feeds mainly on insects and other invertebrates.

Activity

Diurnal

Active mainly during the day.

Social structure

In pairs

Usually lives in pairs, sometimes for life.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

Temperate forestInsectivore Diurnal In pairs Bird Temperate forest

2countries 45parks14same family

Fun facts

It shares a genus with the European black woodpecker, already in this catalogue: the Dryocopus are the great cavity excavators of the northern hemisphere.
Its feeding holes are characteristically rectangular, not round like those of most woodpeckers.
It is one of the species cited as a possible confusion in unconfirmed sightings of the ivory-billed woodpecker, with which it shares size and silhouette.
It leaves unmistakable rectangular holes as it digs into rotting wood in search of carpenter ants. Its cavities, 15 to 21 cm across inside, are so large that many other species use them afterwards, which makes it a keystone species of its forest.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bird)
Habitat & environment: Mature North American woodland with large trees, where it chisels big rectangular cavities in the trunks
Sexual maturity: 11.6 months
Gestation / incubation: 18 days
Litter / clutch size: 4

Sources consulted: IUCN Red List; Bernis et al., Ardeola (nombres castellanos SEO); Freeman et al. 2025, Frontiers in Parasitology; Linnaeus 1758