Photos
Click for larger versions
 Pileated Woodpecker Pileated eating cicadas during the 17 year invasion. Photo taken by Pete Brown on May 2004 in Gambrills, MD.
 Female Pileated Woodpecker Photo taken by Melissa Brown on March 2003 in Gambrills, MD.
 Female Pileated Woodpecker Photo taken by Melissa Brown on March 2003 in Gambrills, MD. |
Birding Information
The large Pileated Woodpecker is an infrequent visitor to our back yard,
but a frequent habitant of the woods here. While we rarely see him/her, we
often hear the calls or drumming in the woods, and sometimes see the Pileated
flying low through the ravine.
Due to the distance the Pileated generally keeps from our home, and the rarity
of any sightings, photographing this bird in our area is very difficult.
General Information
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Length: 16 1/2 to 19 1/2 inches
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Wingspan 27-30 inches
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Family: Picidae
Identification (Male)
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Red crest extending from forehead to nape
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Large black bill
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Scarlet mustache
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White chin
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White line from base of bill cross face to back of next and extends down nexk
to side
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Solid black back
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White underwing covert, and white patch at the base of the primaries, both
visible in flight
Identification (Female)
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The female is similar to the male except that she has a black forehead and a
black mustache.
Identification and size information from Birds of North America Eastern Region
by Fred J. Alsop III, 2001 DK Publishing. I highly recommend this book as
there is a lot more information than I present here.
Additional References
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