The Pileated Woodpecker's Winter Adaptation

Winter Food Gathering

• Although pileated woodpeckers use the same basic food-gathering techniques year-round, during the winter they will drill rectangular holes nearly a foot long in trees to gather dormant carpenter ants. Their tongues are long and bristly for extracting insects, and their feet are especially adapted to vertical tree-clinging. Pileated woodpeckers sweep whole nests of insects into their beaks, and are attracted to areas with dead, decaying logs where insects congregate.

Territory and Sightings

• Mated pairs stay together throughout the year and maintain territories of 150 acres or more. During the winter, pileated woodpeckers are more tolerant of other birds in their territory. Usually pileated woodpeckers are heard before they are seen because of the distinctive knocking sound created by their beaks' hammering into tree trunks as they make homes, find insects to eat, and establish territory. However, because they maintain such large areas, sightings might be infrequent.

Suet Feeders

• Though shy, pileated woodpeckers will sometimes visit suet bird feeders during the winter. Suet is a pressed cake made of shortening or lard and birdseed. It can be store-bought or homemade. Suet feeders can be as simple as an onion bag, or the suet can be spread directly on tree branches. Feeders can be bought especially for woodpeckers.

Nesting Cavities

• Pileated woodpeckers typically roost for the night in separate nest cavities, one bird per cavity. Mated pairs will often roost in different locations during the winter months, and the male will sometimes use the former nest cavity as his winter home. Each spring, mated pairs excavate new nesting cavities to raise their young, and they do not reuse old roosts. They can also be enticed to use nesting boxes made to accommodate their large size.