# Pileated Woodpecker (*Dryocopus pileatus*)

The pileated woodpecker (*Dryocopus pileatus*) is a bird of the woodpecker family, Picidae, in the order Piciformes.

> The pileated woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus) is the largest woodpecker in most of North America, a crow-sized black bird with a flaming red crest. It chisels big rectangular holes in dead trees to reach carpenter ants and beetle larvae. It lives in mature forests across Canada and the eastern and north-western United States, and its population is increasing. It is listed as Least Concern.

- **Category:** Bird
- **Conservation status (IUCN-style):** Least Concern
- **Range:** Mature forests of southern Canada and the eastern and north-western United States.
- **Canonical HTML:** https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/pileated-woodpecker/
- **Last reviewed:** 2026-07-16

## Scientific classification

- **Kingdom:** Animalia
- **Phylum:** Chordata
- **Class:** Aves
- **Order:** Piciformes
- **Family:** Picidae
- **Genus:** Dryocopus

## Facts at a glance

| Attribute | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Scientific name | Dryocopus pileatus |
| Diet | Mainly carpenter ants and wood-boring beetle larvae; also fruit and nuts |
| Habitat | Mature forest with large dead trees |
| Weight | Average about 290 g |
| Oldest known | Nearly 13 years (banded wild bird) |
| Range | Southern Canada, eastern and north-western USA |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN Red List, assessed 2025) |

## Rectangular holes

Pileated woodpeckers dig deep, oblong holes into dead or decaying wood, sometimes big enough to weaken a small tree. They are after colonies of carpenter ants and the larvae of wood-boring beetles, which they extract with a long, barbed tongue. In autumn and winter they also eat wild fruit and nuts.

## Identification

This is a big, dull-black woodpecker with a bright red crest, white stripes on the face and neck, and white wing linings that flash in flight. Males have a red stripe from the bill (a 'moustache'); females have a black one. The loud, laughing call and slow, deep drumming carry far through the woods.

## Homes for other animals

Each year a pair excavates a new nest cavity, usually in a dead tree. Old cavities are later used by ducks, owls, other birds, bats and small mammals, which makes the pileated woodpecker an important cavity builder in North American forests.

## Status

BirdLife International lists the species as Least Concern (2025), estimating about 2.6 million mature birds and an increasing trend. It declined when eastern forests were cleared in the 1800s but has recovered as forests regrew and it learned to use younger woods and suburbs with large trees.

## Frequently asked questions

### How big is a pileated woodpecker?

It is about the size of a crow and weighs around 290 g, making it the largest woodpecker in most of North America.

### Is the pileated woodpecker rare?

No. It is fairly common in mature forests across its range, and BirdLife International reports that its population is increasing.

### How do you say 'pileated'?

Both PIE-lee-ay-ted and PIL-ee-ay-ted are used. The word refers to the bird's crest, from the Latin 'pileatus', meaning capped.

### What is the difference between a pileated and an ivory-billed woodpecker?

The ivory-billed woodpecker is larger, has an ivory-coloured bill and large white patches on the folded wing, and may now be extinct. The pileated has a dark bill and mostly black upperparts.

## Sources

- [BirdLife International (2026). Species factsheet: Pileated Woodpecker Hylatomus pileatus. BirdLife DataZone. Checked 1 November 2026.](https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/pileated-woodpecker-hylatomus-pileatus)
- [Animal Diversity Web: Dryocopus pileatus. University of Michigan Museum of Zoology.](https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Dryocopus_pileatus/)
- Tobias, J. A. et al. (2022). AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. doi:10.1111/ele.13898
- [Gill, F., Donsker, D. & Rasmussen, P. (Eds). IOC World Bird List v15.2.](https://www.worldbirdnames.org/new/)

## Help protect the Pileated Woodpecker

Even familiar animals lose ground as wild habitat keeps shrinking worldwide.

[Donate to wildlife protection](https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/donate/)

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Source: Global Animal Guide (https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/pileated-woodpecker/). Licensed CC BY-NC 4.0 — free for non-commercial reuse with attribution.