The Pileated is a Keystone Species. It roosts in cavities and if a cavity is not available the Pileated will excavate one. And that cavity eventually becomes available to other cavity nesters that are incapable of excavating cavities.
Whenever I’m in the woods and hear a Pileated call or see it’s undulating flight pass through the woods, I am reassured that there are at least a few dead or dying trees in the area.
To date, this is a species of Least Concern (LC); as the future years pass, foresters will be taught to leave areas of dead/dying trees for the cavity nesters.
Please open the following link to see the list of 27 species that depend on the Pileated for cavities. Not one of these species can excavate its own cavity.
