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Today on Animal Fact Files, we’re learning about pileated woodpeckers. Peck on that subscribe button for channel updates! Thanks to Tashara Wilson for today’s request! Pileated woodpeckers are found in North America, and they are some of the biggest woodpeckers living in that region. These hefty fliers are nearly the size of a crow and can have more than two foot (61 centimeters) wingspans. They can be identified by their bright red crests, striped heads, black bodies, and bright white wing undersides as well as their monkey-like chattering, though they leave telltale signs that they’ve visited an area, too.

Per their namesake, pileated woodpeckers drum away at trees looking for grubs hiding within the bark. Pileated woodpeckers seem to have a strong preference for carpenter ants which they can lick up with their long sticky tongue, but these birds will also take beetle larvae, termites, caterpillars, cockroaches, and even fruits and nuts. Most of these foods are found through excavating holes, usually in dead and downed trees, though pileated woodpeckers will also look for food in live trees and, y’know, rain gutters. (not pileated but still) Thankfully, pileated woodpeckers come equipped with reinforced necks and skulls that allow them to drum away without causing injury. Because their food is usually found in woody environments, pileated woodpeckers prefer to live in older forests with rotting logs littering the ground, though they’re highly adaptable birds. Some people think the fallen trees pileated woodpeckers love are an eyesore, but to these birds they’re a banquet.

These birds also excavate large cavities for their nests. Pileated woodpeckers don’t generally migrate, and usually have an established territory they will maintain with their mate. Pileated woodpeckers are considered monogamous, and won’t typically seek a new partner unless a previous partner has died. Heck, most of the time they don’t even let other pileated woodpeckers into their territory. They’ll drive off any wouldbe invaders with loud squawks, wing beatings, and harsh pecks. They will, however, tolerate their own young for a period of time. Pileated woodpeckers construct a nest by creating a cavity in a tree. They almost always make a new nest each year, or even within the same season if their first nesting attempt fails. This leaves their previous years’ nests to the benefit of other animals such as squirrels, owls, bats, and other woodpeckers who use the holes for finding food and nesting themselves. For the pileated woodpeckers, the current year’s nest is dug out and usually not lined with any extra fashionings such as twigs or leaves. The female will lay four white eggs and both the parents will incubate them with the male specifically keeping them cozy at night. It takes just over two weeks for the eggs to hatch, and the chicks will leave the nest within a month. They’ll hang out for a little while longer before flying off to find their own neck of the woods usually ready to produce their own nest within a year if they can find a mate.

Young pileated woodpeckers may be taken by nest invaders such as martens and weasels, and adult pileated woodpeckers have to be careful of hawks and eagles. If they can avoid these predators, they may live to be more than ten years old.

For more facts on pileated woodpeckers, check out the links in the description. Give a thumbs up if you learned something new today, and thank you for watching Animal Fact Files.