Do pileated woodpeckers vary in color?

Question

Are there variations of the pileated woodpecker colors here in Central Florida? Im trying to find out what kind of large woodpecker I saw on the space coast. Im pretty sure it's pileated..but...these ones in the books always look smaller and there is always a head of red feathers. The pileated woodpecker I've seen is only blue and white.

No this woodpecker was huge with a long neck. It even looked a little bit like a crane but hanging on to a tree pecking at the wood. It really did look just like a large pileated woodpecker....without the red feathers on it's head.

Answer 1

There is no such thing as a blue and white pileated woodpecker.Are you sure it wasn't a belted kingfisher?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/93519387@N00/97204582/

Could it have been the way the light was hitting it,that made it look blue? If it were an immature female,that would explain the lack of red feathers.I have no clue,otherwise!

EDIT! I bet it was a Yellow Crowned Night Heron;it was probably eating a big bug or treefrog in the tree.Here's the link to a photo.Is that it?

http://www.sfcelticmusic.com/js/PHOTOGAL/Florida/Yellow_crowned_night_heron.jpg

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

No pileated woodpecker is blue and white. There is variation between young immature and mature adults, but it is basically the same colors.
http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Pileated_Woodpecker.html

There are not any blue and white woodpeckers in North America. There is one native bird you might mistake for a woodpecker, the belted kingfisher.
http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Belted_Kingfisher.html