Need info on Pileated Woodpeckers,?

Question

Can anyone furnish me detailed information about Pileated woodpecker nesting, raising their young and especialy their diet?

Answer 1

I don't know if wikipedia is considered a credible source for you. It was not one that I could use in any of my research papers in college, so I always liked the Audubon society page for info on birds.
http://www.audubon.org/bird/ivory/pileated.php

there are also lots of research papers out there, if you want more in depth info. than what you can find on webpages. (I like to use Google Scholar search engine: http://scholar.google.com )

Answer 2

We have Pileated Woodpeckers where I live. They are the largest woodpecker of all the species, about 14-15''. This bird requires a large territory with mature trees. If there are no mature trees, it will pick out the biggest one available. We have them here year round. I like the noise they make, unique from any other kind of woodpecker. They dig square holes in the trees and eat ants. I have heard from locals that this woodpecker needs a 3 mile territory and that is of concern to me because where I live, a lot of forest is being destroyed for new housing and that means other animals are being displaced as well. I have lived in my home 17 years and always see Pileated Woodpeckers in the same area every year. They give the Electric Coop lots of problems drilling holes in the electric poles. There is one on a neighboring property on the Coop right-of-way which has been replaced about 3 times while we've lived here. Pileated Woodpeckers are excellent for keeping other species of birds and attracting them too because they dig so many holes. Since they dig so much though, the trees they dig in sometimes literally fall in half and fall down.

Answer 3

Diet consists largely of carpenter ants and large larvae of
wood-boring beetles, such as prionine cerambycids. This is
based on stomach contents I examined of a pileated that had
been shot by a hunter but not immediately killed. A friend of
mine picked it up and brought it to me, but it died that night.
They nest in large trees, the nest hole I saw being slightly
narrowed above, so that it verged on being triangular. This
seems to be the only large species of woodpecker that has
been able to adjust to second growth forest and has made a
comeback in numbers. They are now seen in much more
open areas than formerly.

Answer 4

If you live in a wooded area then about all you can do is wait and hope a pair will show up. Do you know if they are in the area? Usually you will hear them pecking on a tree. We have a couple of pair that live in the area where we live and they can be seen from time to time but they are pretty hard to get close to.

Answer 5

Primary food item is carpenter ants. Raise their young in cavities excavated in trees (often times dead or dying ones).

Answer 6

try this site

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pileated_Woodpecker