Pileated woodpeckers are large, crow-sized woodpeckers found throughout forests in North America. With their bright red crest, black and white stripes, and loud, drumming call, these birds are a distinctive sight in wooded areas. Though pileated woodpeckers will eat a variety of foods, they have some clear favorites that can help attract them to your yard or property.
Favorite Foods of Pileated Woodpeckers
The pileated woodpecker’s diet consists mainly of insects and other invertebrates, as well as nuts, seeds, and fruits. Here are some of their top food preferences:
- Carpenter ants – Pileated woodpeckers love carpenter ants, which make up a large part of their diet. The ants provide plenty of protein for these active, acrobatic birds.
- Wood-boring beetle larvae – The larvae of various beetles that bore into tree trunks and branches are another favorite. The pileated’s strong beak allows it to chip away rotting wood to get at beetle grubs.
- Termites – These abundant social insects are rich in fat and protein. Pileated woodpeckers use their powerful bills to dig into termite mounds or logs hollowed out by termites.
- Ant pupae – Pileateds will seek out ant colonies in logs or stumps and dig out the plump pupae, providing an excellent source of fat and calories.
- Acorns – These large nuts from oak trees are an important part of the pileated’s diet in the fall and winter. The birds use their chisel-like bills to access the nutmeat inside the hard shell.
- Other nuts and seeds – In addition to acorns, pileateds will eat hickory nuts, walnuts, beechnuts and the seeds of pine cones and other trees.
- Fruits – Berries, apples and other fruits provide pileated woodpeckers with sugars for energy. They often perch in fruit trees to feed.
- Sap – These woodpeckers use their bill like a drinking straw to suck sap from wells they excavate in trees, especially in early spring.
Knowing the foods that pileated woodpeckers love best can help you offer attractive options in your yard or woodlot. Setting up feeders with some of these foods, or planting trees and flowers that provide them, can bring pileated woodpeckers in for close-up views.
Methods for Feeding Pileated Woodpeckers
If you’d like to attract pileated woodpeckers to your property, here are some techniques for making their favorite foods available:
- Put up a suet feeder – Suet provides fat and protein from animal sources, substituting for insect larvae and ants. Get a suet cage made for larger woodpeckers.
- Offer mealworms – Dried or freeze-dried mealworms are excellent alternatives for insect prey. Put them in platform feeders or suet cages.
- Provide a fruit feeder – Halved oranges, grapes and other fruits can draw in pileateds. Skewer the fruit on branches or nails.
- Set out bird seed – Black oil sunflower seeds, peanuts and cracked corn attract pileateds. Use platform feeders with large perches.
- Plant oak trees – Acorns are a natural food source for pileated woodpeckers. Planting oaks like red and white oak provides a long-term food supply.
- Let dead trees stand – Snags attract insects like carpenter ants and wood-boring beetles. Fallen logs also harbor termite colonies. Leave standing dead trees and fallen logs for foraging.
- Put up nest boxes – Pileated woodpeckers sometimes use nest boxes, if the entrance is large enough. This provides roosting and nesting sites.
- Create a brush pile – Brush piles supply cover for insects and nesting cavities for ants. Place piles of branches and logs in your yard.
Using one or more of these tactics can provide good food sources for pileated woodpeckers nearby. Be patient, as it may take some time for pileateds to find and get accustomed to new feeders. But with favored foods available, you stand a good chance of spotting these impressive woodpeckers.
Best Feeders and Feed Types for Pileated Woodpeckers
When setting up feeders, it’s important to selectstyles that accommodate pileated woodpeckers and allow easy access to their preferred foods. Here are some recommended feeder types and feeding options:
Hopper or Platform Feeders
- Use large feeders with bigger perches to provide stability
- Can be filled with sunflower seeds, peanuts, corn, and various nuts
- Allow pileateds to perch and easily crack open foods with their bills
Suet Feeders
- Use metal suet cages made specifically for larger woodpeckers
- Fill with suet, fruit, or mealworms
- Should have tail props to allow birds to balance
Fruit Skewers
- Skewer cut fruit like oranges, apples, grapes on nails or spikes
- Can attach to trees or posts where pileateds can perch
- Provide naturally sweet food source
Nyjer Feeders
- Filled with nyjer seed to attract smaller birds
- Pileateds may visit to prey on smaller birds, providing protein
Using multiple feeder types creates a more interesting and attractive feeding station. Just be sure feeders are sturdy enough to handle large pileated woodpeckers without tipping or swinging. With the right features, feeders can supply pileateds with the foods they love.
Foods to Avoid Feeding Pileated Woodpeckers
While pileated woodpeckers have adapted to take advantage of certain backyard bird foods, there are some items you should avoid offering:
- Bread – High in empty carbohydrates and lacking proper nutrition. Can cause digestive issues.
- Rice – Swells in the stomach and has minimal nutritional value. Provides little benefit.
- Cracked corn – Not a natural food item. Too much can lead to vitamin deficiencies.
- Salty foods – Excess salt can harm kidney function and raise blood pressure.
- Moldy or rotten foods – Potential source of toxins and illness.
- Rodenticides – Chemical rat and mouse poisons can be lethal to birds.
- Pesticides – Insecticides and weed killers can be toxic if consumed.
Pileated woodpeckers thrive best on a natural diet. While bird feeders can supplement their foods, avoid low-quality filler items or anything potentially hazardous. Stick to healthy, nutritious foods as much as possible.
Conclusion
Pileated woodpeckers have characteristic favorite foods they prefer to eat, especially carpenter ants, beetle larvae, nuts and fruits. You can increase sightings and attract pileated woodpeckers to your yard by offering some of these favored foods in feeders or natural feeding stations. Suet, mealworms, fruit, and nutritious seeds are excellent choices. Avoid low-quality fillers and anything potentially toxic. With their striking plumage and energetic feeding habits, pileated woodpeckers make a great addition to any backyard habitat. Aiming to provide their favorite foods will give you a good chance of spotting these special woodpeckers.
