The pileated woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus) is the largest woodpecker in North America and one of the loudest forest birds on the continent. With its distinctive Laughing call that carries through the woods, the pileated woodpecker has become an icon of old-growth forests. But just how loud is the call of this impressive woodpecker? In this article, we’ll examine the decibel levels, habitat, and communication methods of the pileated woodpecker to understand the full volume capacity of this boisterous bird.
Pileated Woodpecker Call Decibel Levels
The laughing call of the pileated woodpecker has been measured at up to 100 decibels. This is as loud as a motorcycle, lawnmower, or a chainsaw running full throttle. The pileated woodpecker drums even louder, reaching up to 120 decibels. This matches the noise level of a rock concert or thunderclap.
For context, normal human conversation is about 60 decibels. The pileated woodpecker call is up to 40 decibels louder, which is a dramatic difference in perceived volume and sound energy. The pileated woodpecker evolved to have such a piercingly loud voice in order to communicate and defend territory across long distances in the dense, old-growth forests it inhabits.
How the Pileated Woodpecker Produces its Loud Call
The pileated woodpecker generates its loud calls by rapidly hammering its bill against resonating surfaces, typically a dead tree trunk. This drumming behavior is enabled by special anatomical adaptations like thick neck muscles, a reinforced bill, and a cushioning air sac that covers the brain and prevents it from being damaged by the intense drilling and hammering.
By drumming strategically on surfaces that will amplify and carry the sound, like an empty snag or hollow tree, the pileated is able to broadcast its call over surprisingly large distances. The calls and drums carry encoded information that communicate the bird’s location, identity, and motivation to other pileated woodpeckers in the area.
Habitat and Range
The pileated woodpecker is found across much of North America, occupying mature forests from the Pacific Northwest through the Midwest and Northeast. They thrive in old-growth and second-growth forests with large standing dead trees, which provide nesting cavities and drumming surfaces.
Though pileated woodpeckers live across a wide geographic range, they are generally uncommon to rare at a local level. They require extensive tracts of relatively undisturbed mature forest in order to breed and feed successfully. As forests are fragmented by logging and development, pileated numbers have declined in many areas.
Ideal Habitat for Loud Communication
The pileated’s preferred habitat of old-growth forest provides an ideal environment for long-distance vocal communication. The mature trees are spaced well apart, with little undergrowth, allowing sound to travel freely through the woods. The abundance of snags, stumps, and fallen logs provide ready-made drumming surfaces that amplify the pileated’s loud territorial calls.
Younger second-growth forests tend to have dense, tightly packed trees that obstruct sound transmission. And without the drumming surfaces of dead and dying trees, the pileated woodpecker’s signature calls are less likely to boom through the woods. The characteristics of old forests have likely co-evolved with the pileated’s far-carrying vocalizations.
Functions of the Loud Call
Pileated woodpeckers use their deafening calls and drumrolls for several important functions:
Territory Defense
Pileated woodpeckers are highly territorial and use their piercing calls to advertise and defend their breeding and feeding territories. Loud drumming repels potential rivals and announces that the area is occupied. Pairs will also drum together to strengthen the territorial signal.
Attracting a Mate
The male pileated woodpecker uses loud drumming displays to grab the attention of females and demonstrate his fitness as a mate. Drumming is thought to signify health, vitality, and the ability to excavate a nest and forage effectively. A loud, vigorous display helps the male attract and bond with a female.
Staying in Contact
Mate pairs and family units of pileated woodpeckers use frequent contact calls to signal their location and stay in touch with each other across large home ranges of up to 1.5 square miles. The loud calls allow birds to communicate over sizable distances as they travel through the mature forest.
| Function | Behavior |
|---|---|
| Territory Defense | Repetitive drumming to deter rivals |
| Attract a Mate | Solo drumming displays by males |
| Stay in Contact | Frequent laughing calls |
Other Loud Woodpeckers
The pileated woodpecker is one of several woodpecker species renowned for its sheer volume, but it has some rivals among North American woodpeckers:
Northern Flicker
Like the pileated, this large woodpecker drums on resonating surfaces to amplify its calls. The flicker breeds across Canada and the U.S. and occupies more open forests and woodlands than the pileated. Its rattling, squeaking territorial call carries over long distances.
Red-headed Woodpecker
This striking woodpecker inhabits open forests, groves, and grasslands and is adept at broadcasting its rolling, rattling call over its territory. Though not as thunderously loud as a pileated, its vocalizations are far-reaching.
Downy Woodpecker
The diminutive downy woodpecker can match much larger woodpeckers in volume with its high-pitched whinnying call. Though small, it makes up for size with its carrying vocalizations.
Conclusion
With drumming displays that reach 120 decibels, the pileated woodpecker truly earns its title as one of the loudest birds in North America. Its laughing, cackling call can be heard a mile away through dense old-growth forest thanks to special anatomical adaptations. This volume allows pileated woodpeckers to effectively defend large feeding and breeding territories and stay in contact with family members. The pileated’s habitat and vocalizations appear to have co-evolved to maximize the broadcast range of its incredibly loud, unforgettable calls. This mighty forest woodpecker uses its boisterous voice to thrive across the mature forests of the continent.
