Did you know that the Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus) is one of North America’s largest woodpeckers? It is hard to miss with a black body, a red crest, white stripes on its neck, and black and white stripes on its face. Pileated Woodpeckers love to eat insects, fruits, and nuts. A large part of their diet is made up of carpenter ants and beetle larvae. This is why they are always knocking on trees and wood, sensing a ‘hollow area’ where the insects may be. Once they have located their dinner, they use their bill to drill into the wood and use their long sticky tongues to drag out the insects. Sometimes they will expand the holes they create looking for food and make a roost inside the tree to lay their eggs. Tended by both mom and dad, the little hatchlings will be ready to fledge within 1 month. Males and females are similar, but males have a red forehead, and females have a gray to a yellowish-brown forehead. If you hear knocking outside, be sure to look up and see if you can spot a stunning Pileated Woodpecker.
