Montana Field Guide

A crested, black woodpecker with wing span of about 70 cm. More or less uniformly black body with a white line extending down the neck from the bill to underwing area; white throat and line above the eye; black through the eye. Male with a vivid red crest extending from the bill to the nape and a red moustache mark extending from the bill. Female slightly smaller than male and with gray to brown forehead, red crest, and no red moustache mark. In all sex and age groups, a few gray-white bars can be found on the flanks. In flight, wings show black leading and trailing edges and white near the center of the wing close to the body. Juveniles have duller, more loosely textured feathers; primary 10 is longer, broader, and less pointed. Details and colored photo in Bull and Jackson (1995). Nestlings naked at hatching. EGGS: glossy white. See illustration and chick description in Harrison 1978. VOCALIZATIONS: a loud, characteristic kuk-kuk-kuk-kuk; drumming a deep resonant roll that carries a kilometer or more.

Except for the probably extinct ivory-billed woodpecker (campephilus principalis) of the southeastern united states and imperial woodpecker (c. imperialis) of montane western mexico, the pileated is the largest woodpecker in north america.

Late success ional stages of coniferous or deciduous forest, but also younger forests that have scattered, large dead trees. (Bull, Evelyn L. and Jackson, Jerome A. The Birds of North America, No. 148, 1995).

Diet consists primarily of wood-dwelling ants and beetles that are extracted from down woody material and from standing live and dead trees. Fruit and mast of wild nuts when available. (Bull and Jackson 1995).

Comments on ecology in.

Dead trees provide favored sites in which to excavate nest cavities. Only large- diameter trees have enough girth to contain nest. Clutch size typically 4 semi glossy white, broadly oval eggs. (Bull and Jackson 1995). Near Fortine, nest cavity excavation observed from early Mar to end of May; young leaving nest on Jul 5. Egg records probably similar to Minnesota: early to late May.