The crow-sized Pileated Woodpecker is found in areas across North America (see map at end). The male has the red stripe on the cheek, whereas the female does not, and her red cap doesn’t go as far forward as the male.
They are often found on old, dead trees, looking for their main food – carpenter ants, but will also dine on a suet feeder in your back yard. I’ve had two at once comically swinging on a hanging suet feeder, and this year we got to witness a parent bring both its young to the feeder.
They are monogamous, and have one brood per year, with 3 to 5 eggs.
Ever wondered how a woodpecker can jack-hammer its head into wood without experiencing concussion (or at least a headache)? It turns out that they have a special bone, called a “hyoid” bone which wraps all the way around their skull. Every time the bird pecks, the hyoid acts like a suspension for the bird's skull and the delicate brain it protects.
morris wrote:
Superb set Colin. You even got a food exchange. While the last does not show the bird off as well as others it's a fun image that drew me in.
