Pileated woodpecker

I enjoy watching birds when I'm fishing. The sight of an eagle, an osprey, a migrating loon in the spring, colorful warblers flitting through lakeside brush, drake wood ducks, can make an otherwise slow day enjoyable.
Woodpeckers are also sure to attract my attention -- especially the crow-sized pileated woodpecker. These relatively huge birds are one of seven commonly occurring woodpecker species in Ohio.
This winter, I received a release written by Jim McCormac at the Ohio Division of Wildlife about the pileated (pronounced pie-lee-ate-id). When I spotted at pileated while fishing at Rush Creek last week, I decided to share that release here.
"Pileated woodpeckers are unmistakable. No other woodpecker in Ohio – or the United States – comes close in size. The only one that did was the now extinct ivory-billed woodpecker. Pileateds are mostly coal-black with prominent white stripes on the neck and head, and white patches in the wings. A distinctive feature is their bold red crest: red all the way to the bill in males; females have a black forehead. Males are further distinguished by their red “moustache.”
"Their loud laughing maniacal calls carry long distances, often revealing the woodpecker’s presence long before it is seen. The listener is often surprised to learn that it’s a woodpecker that is creating these wild sounds. Another surefire sign of their presence are large, oval-shaped holes, created as nest cavities and also as bore-holes into beetle and ant-infested trees.
"For the most part pileateds shun feeders, preferring to stick to natural foods, although sometimes suet feeders lure them in. They are carpenter ant specialists, adeptly locating ant colonies within trees. When a woodpecker detects ants, it uses its massive chisel-like bill to pry away large slivers of wood and expose the ant galleries. Woodpeckers are equipped with barbed tongues, and they are extremely effective at lapping lots of ants from their chambers.
"Pileated woodpeckers are birds of mature woodlands, and they are doing well in Ohio. Our forests are increasing and maturing, and the woodpeckers are growing in numbers and occupying new areas.
"Having lots of pileated woodpeckers is important for multiple reasons. They are agents of control for various insect tree pests. Pileateds are also what biologists term a “keystone” species, because many other animals benefit from the woodpecker’s work. Their large nest cavities are often later used by everything from flying squirrels, screech-owls, wood ducks, and black rat snakes. Feeding sites are often raided by other woodpeckers, wrens, and various species that otherwise could not get at the food exposed by the big woodpeckers.
"Finally, pileateds are exciting to us: without a doubt one of our grandest birds. Everyone from veteran birders to people who know nothing about birds stops in their tracks at the sight of one. These huge woodpeckers greatly enrich Ohio’s woodlands and we’re fortunate to have them around."
For photos and more articles, visit www.ohiowildside.com