Saturday 11 December 2010

Pileated woodpecker

Dryocopus pileatus

(Photo from Carkeek Wetland)

Common name:
pileated woodpecker (en); pica-pau-grande (pt); grand pic (fr); picamaderos norteamericano (es); helmspecht (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Piciformes
Family Picidae

Range:
This North American species is found throughout the eastern United States, all across Canada and down the Pacific coast to California.

Size:
This very large woodpecker is 40-49 cm long and have a wingspan of 66-75 cm. They weigh 250-350 g.

Habitat:
They are only found in forested areas, in both deciduous and coniferous forests as long as they have large trees.

Diet:
Pileated woodpeckers are mostly insectivorous, hunting carpenter ants and wood-boring beetle larvae from under the tree bark. They may also eat fruits and nuts.

Breeding:
These birds usually pair for life. In April the male makes a hole in a tree, most often in a dead tree. There, the female lays 1-6 white eggs which are incubated by both parents for 15-16 days. The chicks take a month to fledge.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least concern)
The pileated woodpecker has a very large breeding range and a population estimated at 930.000 individuals. The population has undergone a significant increase over the last 40 years so the species is not considered threatened at present.

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