Pileated woodpeckers are striking birds native to North America known for their loud, drumming knocks as they search for insects in dead and decaying wood. With their large, bright red crested heads, black and white plumage, and distinctive rectangular-shaped bill, these crow-sized woodpeckers are unmistakable. Pileated woodpeckers can be found across much of North America, inhabiting mature forests and woodlands. But when are these woodpeckers most active throughout the day? Read on to learn more about the daily rhythms of these fascinating birds.
Foraging Patterns and Habits
Pileated woodpeckers are adept at extracting carpenter ants and wood-boring beetle larvae from dead and decaying trees. Their powerful chisel-like bills can hammer through even the hardest wood with ease. Pileated woodpeckers use their long, barbed tongues to extract ants and beetles from deep within tree cavities and crevices.
In general, pileated woodpeckers follow a predictable daily pattern of activity centered around foraging. They typically roost in large tree cavities overnight and leave the roost soon after first light to begin foraging. For much of the day, they actively move from tree to tree in search of food, periodically returning to a favorite roost tree to rest before resuming feeding. They may also excavate roost cavities in softer snags during the day. Pileated woodpeckers are not territorial but instead define “home ranges” that can span 100 acres or more.
Morning Hours
Pileated woodpeckers are most active in the morning hours after leaving their overnight roosts. Their peak foraging activity typically occurs between 7-11 am as they busily excavate decaying wood in search of ants, beetle larvae, and other insects. The morning hours after dawn provide ideal light conditions and warmer temperatures to facilitate locating food. Pileated woodpeckers are often heard drumming and calling more frequently at this time of day as well. The staccato knocking sounds serve to communicate with mates and defend territories.
Midday Lull
Around midday when temperatures climb, pileated woodpecker activity tends to decrease. During the hottest hours from 11 am – 2 pm, they reduce foraging efforts. However, they may still excavate roost or nest cavities in softer snags during this time since woody material is easier to excavate when warm. Pileated woodpeckers retreat to roost cavities to escape the midday heat and rest. This midday lull in feeding activity allows them to conserve energy.
Afternoon Foraging
As temperatures cool in the afternoon, pileated woodpecker activity picks up again between 2 – 6 pm. They emerge from roost cavities to resume foraging, taking advantage of ant and beetle larva activity before dusk. The afternoon hours are also important for locating suitable roost sites to spend the night. Pileated woodpeckers may excavate a new roost cavity or clean out an existing one in preparation for nighttime.
Evening Return to Roost
In the evening before sunset, pileated woodpeckers will make final foraging efforts before returning to an overnight roost. Typically between 6 – 7 pm, they will make their way back to a large tree cavity, often a freshly excavated or cleaned out hole. Choosing a secure roost helps protect pileated woodpeckers from predators like owls while they sleep. Settling into a roost cavity for the night signals the end of their daily activity period.
Seasonal Variations
While pileated woodpeckers generally follow the same daily schedule year-round, there are some seasonal differences in foraging patterns:
- In winter, they may begin foraging slightly later in the morning to allow for warmer temperatures to aid in insect activity.
- Midday breaks may last longer in summer when midday heat is more intense.
- Evening foraging may extend later in summer months when sunset is later.
- In colder months, they excavate roost cavities in softer snags that make chiseling easier.
Pileated woodpeckers may also spend more time drumming and calling in late winter and early spring during courtship and the onset of breeding season. Otherwise, their daily rhythms follow a similar pattern year-round.
Feeding Behaviors
In addition to their daily activity patterns, pileated woodpeckers exhibit fascinating feeding behaviors and adaptations that aid their insect-hunting lifestyle:
Chiseling Wood
Using their sharply pointed beaks like a chisel, pileated woodpeckers expertly chip away at dead wood in search of carpenter ants and beetle larvae buried inside. They can hammer up to 15-20 times per second, using their stiff tail feathers like a prop to brace themselves vertically against tree trunks. Their hammering creates rectangular-shaped cavities in the wood.
Extracting Prey
Once prey is exposed in a cavity, pileated woodpeckers use their nearly 3-inch long barbed tongue to extract insects. Their unique hyoid apparatus wraps over the back of the skull and helps rapidly extend the sticky tongue in and out of the bill up to around 10 times per second. This mechanism lets pileated woodpeckers snatch wood-boring beetle larvae hidden deep within trees.
Storing Food
Pileated woodpeckers sometimes use “food storage trees” where they drill small holes into bark or dead limbs and stuff them with insects, especially carpenter ants, for later feeding. They may visit these larder trees periodically when other prey is scarce. Stored food can help pileated woodpeckers survive winter months.
Following Ant Trails
Carpenter ants make up a significant part of the pileated woodpecker’s diet. Pileated woodpeckers use their keen vision to spot ant trails moving up and down trees and then excavate those areas to access ant colonies. They often return to productive ant-inhabited trees to feed.
Defense Against Intruders
If other woodpeckers or birds attempt to steal prey from their excavated cavities, pileated woodpeckers may stand guard over the hole, using an aggressive head swinging display. This behavior tries to intimidate potential thieves looking to poach ants or other insects from pileated feeding sites.
Habitat Preferences
Pileated woodpeckers thrive in certain forest habitats that support their needs:
Mature Forests
Older mature forests with large snags, fallen logs, and an abundance of dead and decaying wood provide ideal foraging habitat. Forest stands at least 50 years old supply sufficient quantities of insect prey.
Tree Variety
A mix of tree species, both dead and alive, offers the best feeding and nesting opportunities. Deciduous trees like maple, beech, oak, and ash provide carpenter ants. Conifers like pine have wood-boring beetle larvae.
Forest Openings
Tree breaks, forest edges near rivers and ponds, and parks within woodlands give pileated woodpeckers open flyways as they move between trees. Openings also funnel ants and other insects.
Dead Wood
An abundance of snags, fallen logs, and branches are essential as sources of food, nest sites, and roost cavities.Territory sizes correlate with dead wood density.
Minimal Understory
More open understories allow pileated woodpeckers to fly freely under the forest canopy as they forage. Dense undergrowth can impede their movement between trees.
Range and Population
Pileated woodpeckers are found across much of North America:
- They range across the eastern United States from New England south to Florida.
- Along the Pacific coast from California to British Columbia.
- Throughout the Upper Midwest and boreal forests of Canada.
- The Southeastern coastal plains and parts of the Southwest.
According to the North American Breeding Bird Survey, pileated woodpecker populations are on the rise across North America. Partners in Flight estimates a global breeding population of over 800,000. Their preference for mature forests has likely benefited pileated woodpeckers as second-growth woodlands reach suitable age. Cavity nesters like pileated woodpeckers also provide crucial habitat for other bird and mammal species across their range.
Threats and Conservation
Although thriving currently, pileated woodpeckers still face a number of threats to their long-term survival:
- Habitat loss from logging of old-growth forests.
- Lack of standing dead trees which provide nesting sites.
- Increasing isolation and fragmentation of remaining mature forests.
- Competition for cavities with introduced European starlings.
- Declines in wood-boring beetle populations due to pesticide use.
Conservation initiatives like forest certification, sustainable forestry practices, and protection of woodpecker habitat on public and private lands will benefit pileated woodpecker populations. Allowing forests to age and implementing prescribed burns to create stands of dead trees will also aid pileated woodpeckers. Continued monitoring through citizen science efforts will help researchers track population trends over time. With appropriate habitat management and conservation measures, the spectacular pileated woodpecker will continue gracing North American forests for generations to come.
Conclusion
Active and noisy pileated woodpeckers are a sign of a healthy forest ecosystem. Their characteristic rectangular excavations provide nesting sites for other cavity nesters and signal the presence of abundant wood-boring insect prey. By following daily rhythms attuned to searching for ants, beetles, and other insects in dead and dying woody material, pileated woodpeckers play a crucial role in nutrient cycling and decomposition. Their preference for mature forests makes them an indicator species of older forest stands across North America. With increasing dead wood resources thanks to aging second-growth forests, pileated woodpecker populations continue to thrive. Watching and listening for these crow-sized woodpeckers chiseled bills hammering on trees can be a highlight of any daytime walk in woodland habitat.
