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Bird Sounds: Pileated Woodpecker

A pileated woodpecker on a branch
Image Credit:
Pixabay
Written By: Heidi Stonehill Executive Editor

Can you identify the call of the pileated woodpecker? Listen and learn about this woodland bird.

The pileated woodpecker is the largest woodpecker in North America (after the ivory-billed woodpecker, which is presumed to be extinct). These birds can reach up to 19 inches from tail to tip and sport a wingspan of up to 30 inches! 

The pileated woodpecker gets its name from the bright-red crest on its head. “Pileated,” which comes from the Latin word for “-capped,” ultimately stems from a type of Ancient Greek hat known as a pilos (pileus in Latin).

Pileated Woodpecker

In late winter, the male pileated woodpecker prepares for the upcoming nesting season, which typically starts in April. Using his incredible bill, he hammers out a nesting area in a dead tree and hopes to attract a mate. Once paired, pileated woodpeckers usually hang around their territory throughout the year, defending it from interlopers. Amazingly, they do not reuse their nests from year to year, which makes the hollow an attractive home for other forest dwellers, such as raccoons and owls.

Have you heard a pileated woodpecker in the wild? Add your comments below. Be sure to let us know where you live or where you’ve heard this bird sound before!

Click here to listen to the sounds of other birds! Bird sounds compliments of The Macaulay Library at The Cornell Lab of Ornithology. 

Bird Sounds

About The Author

Heidi Stonehill

Heidi Stonehill

Executive Editor

Heidi Stonehill is the Executive Editor for The Old Farmer’s Almanac, joining the team in 2001. As such, she manages the content development of the Almanac’s line of wall, engagement, box, and special...

Read more from Heidi Stonehill

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Comments

<span>Lavonne Talley</span> Mon, 06/15/2020 - 22:00
Hi, One afternoon I was sitting on the porch and heard what sounded like laughing monkeys! Lol Then a few minutes later a pair of them landed in a tree close enough for me to get a good look at them. They started talking again and I realized that’s what I heard! We’ve seen them quite a bit lately. We live in Southside Virginia, close to NC line. Thank you for sharing the sounds of birds! Wonderful to know whose talking and singing about you ❤️
<span>Mark</span> Sat, 06/06/2020 - 17:46
I knew there was one or two around my area, but over the last few days one has been visiting my suet feeder, maybe 10-12 feet from my window. A delightful site. Now it has identified another food source I hope to see many return visits. Suet is enjoyed by the other woodpeckers as well as catbirds.
<span>Glenn S</span> Sat, 06/06/2020 - 07:09
I have a question . . . I see and hear Pileated Woodpeckers around my home (in central Virginia) all the time. Their call is quite distinctive and once I had the rare opportunity to watch a pair in their courting ritual and mating (it lasted for over an hour). So now I'm reading on several websites that woodpeckers "have no vocal cords." How do they emit their loud calls without vocal cords?
<span>Linda</span> Mon, 06/01/2020 - 09:33
I hear it often near Howey-in-the-Hills, FL.
<span>Kathryn R</span> Tue, 05/12/2020 - 20:14
Big Stone City South Dakota
<span>Kathryn R</span> Tue, 05/12/2020 - 20:13
Early this spring we saw a pileated in our suet feeder, then about a month later we saw four flying around. They are very shy; as soon as they see someone moving around in the house they fly away. We never heard them make any sound until today. The pileated here today is very vocal when in the pine tree by the house.
<span>Marie Goguen</span> Fri, 04/03/2020 - 11:53
We have two pileated woodpeckers that we can hear calling and pecking the trees in our yard in Kingston,NH. They come to our window feeder because they absolutely LOVE peanuts. They also enjoy the suet we put out in the yard. We love watching them. They are truly a magnificent bird!
<span>Jeannie Bodie</span> Sun, 08/25/2019 - 22:44
We have several young adults...
<span>Janice Taylor</span> Fri, 08/02/2019 - 11:18
we have a pileated woodpeckers at our home which we are feeding and we are looking for all the information we can get to make this a safe habitat for them
<span>Tiffany Russell</span> Sun, 04/28/2019 - 19:13
Carlisle, Pennsylvania.... I was curious why the woodpecker can be pecking on the tree right in front of me but I dont hear the pecking. But if the woodpecker is at a different tree away from me I hear it? Every day we see the woodpecker pecking at the trees and hear them in the background. We have one living in a maple tree in the back yard and we feed them peanut butter suet cakes all the time they love it!