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Pileated Woodpecker

Dryocopus pileatus

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Dryocopus pileatus by arejay59
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Order
Piciformes
Family
Picidae
Genus
Dryocopus
Species
pileatus
Regional

This bird has been reportedly found in the following regions:

Auburn, Alabama

Fairhope, Alabama

Hartselle, Alabama

Fairfield Bay, Arkansas

Lowell, Arkansas

Logan Lake, British Columbia

Crescent City, California

Kelseyville, California

North Stonington, Connecticut

Arcadia, Florida(678 reports)

Archer, Florida

Brooksville, Florida

Crawfordville, Florida

Daytona Beach, Florida

Fernandina Beach, Florida

Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Fort Pierce, Florida

Jacksonville, Florida(2 reports)

Lecanto, Florida

Lehigh Acres, Florida

Melbourne, Florida

Milton, Florida

Naples, Florida

Navarre, Florida

Port Charlotte, Florida

Wellborn, Florida

West Palm Beach, Florida

Zephyrhills, Florida

Austell, Georgia

Bainbridge, Georgia

Byron, Georgia

Dacula, Georgia

Gillsville, Georgia

Jekyll Island, Georgia

Naylor, Georgia

Tifton, Georgia

Baylis, Illinois

Effingham, Illinois

Naperville, Illinois

Coatesville, Indiana

Georgetown, Indiana

North Manchester, Indiana

Solon, Iowa

Alvaton, Kentucky

Crestwood, Kentucky

La Grange, Kentucky

Latonia, Kentucky

Melbourne, Kentucky

Morehead, Kentucky

Salvisa, Kentucky

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Covington, Louisiana

Augusta, Maine

Greenville, Maine

Litchfield, Maine

Shapleigh, Maine

West Newfield, Maine

Wiscasset, Maine

Linthicum Heights, Maryland

North Adams, Massachusetts

Bark River, Michigan

Glennie, Michigan

Gulliver, Michigan

Kalamazoo, Michigan

Mattawan, Michigan

Traverse City, Michigan

Anoka, Minnesota

Chaska, Minnesota

Grand Rapids, Minnesota

Hamel, Minnesota

Saint Bonifacius, Minnesota

Natchez, Mississippi

Cole Camp, Missouri

Conway, Missouri

Gerald, Missouri

High Ridge, Missouri

Saint Robert, Missouri

Whitefish, Montana

Brookline, New Hampshire

Franklin, New Hampshire

Lisbon, New Hampshire

Milford, New Hampshire

Sunapee, New Hampshire

Warner, New Hampshire

Buffalo, New York

Fairport, New York

Franklinville, New York

Greene, New York

Himrod, New York

Olean, New York

Syracuse, New York

Burnsville, North Carolina

Concord, North Carolina

Waynesville, North Carolina

Winston Salem, North Carolina

Yadkinville, North Carolina

Chillicothe, Ohio

Columbus, Ohio

Corning, Ohio

Dalton, Ohio

Guysville, Ohio

Mansfield, Ohio

Sidney, Ohio

Hulbert, Oklahoma

Gold Hill, Oregon

Blakeslee, Pennsylvania

Downingtown, Pennsylvania

East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania

Kittanning, Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Pocono Lake, Pennsylvania

Columbia, South Carolina

Edisto Island, South Carolina

Summerville, South Carolina

Columbia, Tennessee

Elizabethton, Tennessee

Knoxville, Tennessee

Bellville, Texas

Cat Spring, Texas

Conroe, Texas

Houston, Texas(2 reports)

Magnolia, Texas

Palestine, Texas

Richmond, Texas

Essex Junction, Vermont

Newbury, Vermont

Vershire, Vermont

Annandale, Virginia

Locust Dale, Virginia

Ridgeway, Virginia

Roanoke, Virginia

Walkerton, Virginia

Auburn, Washington

Joyce, Washington

Lakewood, Washington

Spencer, West Virginia

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Gardener's Notes:
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10 positives 4 neutrals 0 negative
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W

Wingtips56

Crescent City North, CA | April 2021 | Positive
These woodpeckers are seasonal regulars here in the Redwood forests in NW California. Plenty of (big!) old trees to keep them busy. I woke the other day to the call of one, thinking it was my Audubon bird clock out on the deck, but then realized the Pileated Woodpecker is the 3 O'clock bird on the clock; it was a real one on my seed feeder. I hear them throughout the day now in my 2 acre forested yard.
It's great to hear them laughing, and we love seeing the flash of red as they swoop through the trees.

So to add to the sighting lists: Crescent City, CA and Hiouchi, CA.
t

treesmoocher

Spencer, WV | April 2021 | Neutral
We always have these around (West Virginia) and I like them...but they have been working to "rid" our house and outbuildings of carpenter bees, in the process damaging the structure even more. But now my husband has discovered a way to make carpenter bee traps that work, involving a clear plastic bottle attached to an old bee hole. So the woodpeckers can go back to focusing on dead trees in the woods.
k

klw414

Newnan, GA | April 2021 | Positive
We have seen the pileated woodpeckers on our property in Newnan, GA, for many years. They lived in a dead tree behind our house until it fell. We left it where it fell since it was not in the way. Eventually they moved to another tree. On a few occasions they have come to our feeder on our deck.
A

AmyInNH

Brookline, NH | August 2019 | Positive
Big beasty!
Heard this bird in Brookline NH, "Wuk! Wuk! Wuk!", but it wasn't close enough to ensure identity.
Did see this bird in Billerica, MA, what a big beauty!
a

audsrz

Traverse City, MI (Zone 5a) | December 2010 | Positive
This bird is common in my yard. We have three seperate nesting pairs. We call them "woodpecker-saurus" bacause of their maniacal call. I love to watch them chase the starlings and jays off of the suet cakes. This fall we had the added joy of watching a proud poppa show two hatchlings how to climb down the telephone pole to harvest the wild grapes. I never picked a single one for juice this year, and I don't regret the loss one bit.
m

mhtcobb

Naylor, GA | November 2010 | Positive
This is the largest woodpecker I have ever seen in the area. Its call is really unique. There are 4 living in a dead tree behind my house. The best thing about them is that they have completely rid my shed of carpenter bees. I never even see the bees around the shed anymore!
j

juniperberry

Bellville, TX | May 2010 | Neutral
I was surprised to see this large bird standing on the ground next to the railroad track that runs through Cat Spring, TX about four years ago.

Then about two weeks ago we saw one near the top of a telephone pole on the outskirts of Bellville, TX one evening. Amazing! We stopped the car to look at it and it flew away into a nearby woods.
m

marthabatten

Shapleigh, ME | April 2010 | Positive
We have seen this woodpecker twice, once while kayaking on the deserted end of our lake and once from our window high overlooking the lake. Magnificent.
H

Hoagie

North Tonawanda, NY | March 2010 | Positive
I had never seen this bird before in 50 years, but have seen it now in 4 different areas in the past 5 years, 3 times in western NY and once in Maine. It is so beautiful! I hope it is becoming more common, would love to see it all the time.
P

PiBall

Milford, NH | October 2009 | Positive
They are common in my area of NH. They are great vacuum cleaners for tree cavities, and, as most birds do, eat constantly. I once watched a Pileated spend most of the day at the base of seemingly healthy pine in my driveway. Later that day, due to our curiosity about the bird's long stay, we discovered the tree's base was thin to a dangerous state by carpenter ants. We IMMEDIATELY removed the cars and took the tree down. So little remained of the trunk it would have surely come down in the next wind or rain, likely onto the cars. Fortunately the tree was far from the house, because you can just imagine where those thousands of ants had to scurry off to; thankfully for us, the woods. NEVER leave a tree stump or snag close to your house just to feed the birds!
m

mrbluejeans

north adams, MA (Zone 5b) | September 2009 | Neutral
The pileated woodpecker does not respond to bird houses very well. To help lure a nesting pair to an appropriate size built wooden structure, several inches of wooden shavens/chips could be placed in the bottom of the nesting box. They still prefer to use a hole in a tree though.
s

sassafrasgreen

Georgetown, IN | May 2009 | Positive
These birds eat the beetles that devour dead trees.

To encourage Pileated Woodpeckers to live near you, leave dead tree trunks standing if they pose no danger of causing damage by falling, or allow the trunk to remain on the ground for several years if it must be cut down.
n

nanny_56

Putnam County, IN (Zone 5b) | April 2009 | Positive
This bird is unbelievable the first time you see it. I never knew anything like this existed before I saw it land on my tree back in the winter of 2007 at our then new home.

It is more often heard than seen. There is no mistaking its wild call.
D

DebinSC

Georgetown, SC (Zone 8a) | January 2009 | Neutral
On the male, the red coloring of the crest begins at the beak; the female has a more of a black forehead. The male also has a small red "mustache" that the female does not.
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