The
Pileated
Woodpecker Feathered Engineer of the Forest Catherine Greenleaf - Lyme, NH
I
gravitated to the other dead trees on the property – the ones used to build their house. If you don’t want woodpeckers drilling the wood on your house, then leave as many dead trees up as possible, provided they are in a safe area. A KEYSTONE SPECIES Pileateds are a keystone species in the forest, as their nest cavities provide shelter for other wildlife, including bats, swifts, bluebirds, Wood ducks, Great-Crested flycatchers and several other woodpecker species. Their specialized engineering work is also vital to the nutrient cycle of the forest, since their drilling helps to quickly break down dead and decaying trees, leading to regeneration of the soil. Pileateds have a sweet tooth, as they enjoy drinking the sap of pine trees. The sap contains mostly water but also sugar and minerals that give the bird the extra energy it needs to get through the day – much in the way a hummingbird will drink at a nectar feeder. In turn, after a Pileated has drilled for sap in a pine tree, the sap that is released will go on to feed numerous other birds and wildlife. Pileateds also have a fondness for pine resin, which is most likely due to its potent antibiotic properties.
see a great many orphaned Pileated woodpeckers come into St. Francis Wild Bird Center in Lyme, NH every year. Pileateds are cavity nesters, so when trees are cut down by loggers, the youngsters inside the nests are often killed. The ones that do survive are brought to my center for treatment and are raised until they reach juvenile status, at which point they are released back into the wild. The Pileated, with its 28-inch wingspan, is considered the second largest woodpecker in the continental United States, and is very close in size to an adult TERRITORIAL BIRDS crow. The bird is second in size only to the The sound of the Pileated’s drilling can Ivory-Billed woodpecker, a bird consid- sometimes be heard for miles, and is often ered long extinct, despite the occasional claim their call is being heard deep in the Louisiana swamps. The Pileated is a shy and reclusive bird, and prefers deep woodlands, especially mature mixed coniferous and deciduous forests. However, due to the extreme habitat loss taking place in the U.S., they are being forced more and more into suburban areas, and as a result, sightings of the bird by the public have risen in recent years. WHY IS THAT WOODPECKER PECKING ON MY HOUSE? The Pileated prefers dead trees. Most people are not aware that dead trees are loaded with yummy, juicy insects – far more than any live tree. The Pileated’s diet consists of 90% insects, and their favorite food is termites and carpenter ants, along with wood-boring beetles, cockroaches, grasshoppers, caterpillars and insect larvae. Their long, sticky, multi-pronged tongue can reach deep inside holes in trees to capture larvae. When retracted, the tongue wraps around the inside of the head between and skull and the skin. The remaining 10% of their diet consists of fruits from natives like sumacs and dogwoods, as well as nuts. Don’t be too fastidious a gardener! Leave dead trees and fallen logs on your property whenever possible. Some homeowners remove every dead tree in their yard only to find the Pileated has Spring 2020
territorial, warning other male Pileateds to stay clear of their breeding grounds. The woodpecker’s skull is reinforced with spongey bone that can absorb the force of a hammering beak without resulting in headaches or brain damage. However, Pileateds are just as prone to head injuries from window strikes as any other species of bird. It’s important to keep bird feeders at least 50 feet away from all windows and sliding glass doors to avoid injuries to birds. The Pileated has zygodactyl feet, meaning it has two toes located at the front of the foot and two toes located at the back. This gives them the excellent grip they need to climb vertically up and down trees. A Pileated typically lived 20-30 years, but due to increasing habitat loss their lifespan has been greatly reduced. Consider joining the nationwide environmental movement called, “One Third For The Birds.” Leave the back third of your property to the wildlife, allowing for a quiet space filled with native trees, shrubs and perennials. This will create safe habitat for birds, like the Pileateds, to raise their families. You will be rewarded with untold hours of bird watching enjoyment. Catherine Greenleaf is the director of St. Francis Wild Bird Center in Lyme, N.H. If you find an injured bird, please call (603) 795-4850.
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