Pileated woodpeckers are one of the largest woodpecker species found in North America. They are recognizable by their black and white plumage, bright red crest, and large size. Juvenile pileated woodpeckers can look quite different from the striking adults and go through several distinct phases before reaching full adult plumage around their third year.
Appearance of Juvenile Pileated Woodpeckers
There are three distinct juvenile plumage phases that young pileated woodpeckers progress through before acquiring their mature markings:
Natal Down Phase
Pileated woodpecker chicks hatch from the egg covered in thick gray down. Their eyes are closed at this point and they are essentially helpless, relying completely on their parents for food and care. Once they grow flight feathers at around 3-4 weeks old, the juveniles will leave the nest and follow their parents around to learn how to forage on their own.
First Juvenile Phase
The first juvenile plumage phase lasts around 2-3 months after leaving the nest. In this stage, young pileateds have mostly black feathers, lacking the bold white stripes and bright red crest of adults. Their forehead and crown are black, their wings are black mixed with some brown, and the underside is a dark grayish black. The face is a fleshy gray color without the signature red mustache stripe. The bill is shorter and more pointed than the powerful chisel-like bill of adults.
Second Juvenile Phase
In the second juvenile phase, the young birds start to acquire some red on the face as the mustache stripe comes in. The wing and tail feathers may show some barring as well. However, the plumage is still primarily dark without white stripes on the back or white patches under the wings. This phase lasts until around 6 months of age.
Third Juvenile Phase
In the third juvenile phase, the young pileated woodpecker has a mix of adult and juvenile features. The face has a red mustache and dark bill, but the plumage retains a mostly blackish appearance. Some white feathers may start to appear on the wings or underside. Red feathers come into the top of the head. This strange mix of mature and juvenile traits lasts until the bird molts at around a year old.
Differences Between Male and Female Juveniles
There are a few subtle differences between male and female juvenile pileated woodpeckers:
Size
As with adult pileateds, the males tend to be slightly larger than the females. This size difference can aid in identifying gender once the young birds reach the second or third juvenile phase when the sexes start to differentiate.
Red Facial Color
Males tend to develop the red mustache stripe earlier and more vibrantly than juvenile females. By the third phase, males usually have a brighter red face than females who often retain some gray or black coloration around their bills.
White Plumage
Male juvenile pileateds tend to get white feathers on the wings and underside sooner than females. Females in the third juvenile phase usually have less white in their plumage than same-aged males.
Behaviors of Juvenile Pileated Woodpeckers
Juvenile pileated woodpeckers behave quite differently than mature adults. Some key aspects of their behavior include:
Follow Parents
For the first 2-3 months after leaving the nest cavity, young pileateds rely heavily on their parents to find food and avoid predators. They follow their parents constantly, begging for food with loud calls and watching the behaviors of the adults.
Clumsy Flying
Juveniles have weak flying skills initially and can appear clumsy in flight. Their flight pattern is often erratic and fluttering compared to the strong, direct flight of adults.
Less Vocal
Adult pileated woodpeckers are extremely vocal birds. Juveniles make calls near constantly to beg from parents, but do not yet have the full range of sounds adults use to communicate, defend territories, and attract mates.
Shorter Feeding Time
Mature pileateds can spend hours excavating dead trees and logs to get at insect prey inside the wood. Juveniles have shorter attention spans and do not have the skills or strength yet for long excavation. They feed for brief periods before stopping to rest or beg.
Habitat and Range of Juvenile Pileated Woodpeckers
Young pileated woodpeckers remain in the habitat where they were hatched during the first year after fledging. They range in the same forests and woodlands as their parents, learning where to find food and roost safely at night. Some details about juvenile pileated habitats include:
Mature Forests
Juveniles remain in the mature forests preferred by adult pileateds, including deciduous, coniferous, and mixed woodlands. The abundance of standing dead trees and fallen logs provide essential food sources.
Across North America
Pileated woodpeckers range over much of North America from Florida to the boreal forests of Canada. Juveniles occur anywhere breeding pairs occur, which is nearly everywhere except for treeless tundra and desert.
Territory Fidelity
While capable of dispersing to new areas after their first year, many juveniles establish a territory overlapping or adjacent to their parents. Some may even inherit part of the parental territory if space allows.
Diet of Juvenile Pileated Woodpeckers
Young pileated woodpeckers depend completely on their parents to provide food at first. The adults bring them mostly insects including ants, beetles, termites, caterpillars, and others obtained by excavating trees. As the juveniles learn to forage on their own, they start catching the same insect prey as adults. Their technique and skills improve with age.
Ants and Beetles
Ants and beetle larvae are the primary prey fed to chicks in the nest by adult pileated woodpeckers. Juveniles continue seeking ants and beetles once independent, focusing on carpenter ants and wood-boring beetle species.
Wood-Boring Insects
Like mature pileateds, juveniles forage mainly on trees infested with wood-boring insects like termites, carpenter ants, bark beetles, horntails, and others. These insects and their larvae provide an abundant, nutritious food source for growing young birds.
Berries and Nuts
As juveniles improve at foraging, they start supplementing their diet with berries, seeds, and nuts, especially in winter when insect prey is scarce. Oak acorns, hackberries, dogwood berries, and other fruits are consumed.
Occasional Carrion
Pileated woodpeckers are rarely seen feeding on carrion. However, juveniles may occasionally scavenge on carcasses of small vertebrates as they explore food options the first year.
Identifying Juvenile Pileated Woodpeckers
Telling a juvenile pileated from an adult can be tricky. Here are some tips for identification:
Look for Black Plumage
The mostly blackish body plumage without white stripes is the easiest way to recognize a juvenile pileated woodpecker. The dark wings and underside contrast sharply with the bold black and white of adults.
See Red Only on Face
Juveniles in the second and third plumage phase may have a red mustache, but typically lack red feathers on the head. The dark face and cap indicates a young bird.
Watch Flying Style
The erratic, fluttering flight of a clumsy juvenile pileated woodpecker differs noticeably from the strong flight pattern of mature birds. Focus on flying birds to age them.
Listen for Begging Calls
Young pileateds give constant, loud begging calls to summon their parents. If you hear insistent, squealing calls, it likely indicates begging juveniles are nearby.
Note Short Feeding Time
Observe woodpeckers on feeder logs. Juveniles will give up and flutter off after brief feeding bouts, while adults feed steadily for long periods.
Interesting Facts About Juvenile Pileated Woodpeckers
- Juvenile pileated woodpeckers have a higher, more frantic-sounding call than adults.
- Both parents feed and care for the young, often passing food back and forth as they excavate together.
- Males take the primary role of excavating nest and roost cavities in trees for the family group.
- Juveniles peck on dead branches and other wooden objects to help strengthen their neck muscles as they develop.
- Young pileateds have a distinctive fluttering, uneven flight pattern like they are almost falling from the air until they gain skills.
- Juveniles stay with their parents for up to 6 months after fledging, the longest dependency period of any North American woodpecker.
- Even after gaining independence, juveniles may continue roosting in cavities with the adult pair for their first winter.
- Both male and female juveniles disperse from the family territory by late spring of their first year to establish a new territory.
- Juveniles have a higher, more squealing version of the rattling klee-uk call adults make.
- Young pileated woodpeckers rub their bill along branches or nest trees in a behavior called “billing” to help clean debris off their bills.
Conclusion
Juvenile pileated woodpeckers undergo a complex transition before acquiring the stunning plumage of adults. Progression through three distinct plumage phases can make identifying the age of pileateds challenging in the field. However, knowing the differences in appearance, behavior, vocalizations, and flight style between juvenile and adult pileated woodpeckers allows you to distinguish young birds throughout their development.
