An exciting bird There are only a handful of birds that elicit pure excitement and joy when it shows up at your backyard feeding station. The Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus) is our largest woodpecker species in American and Canada. Some say it is the second largest woodpecker. It all depends upon if you believe the Ivory-billed Woodpecker exists or not. The Pileated Woodpecker inhabits deciduous forests in and around the Great Lakes, New England and as far south as Florida and other Gulf Coast states. The name “pileated” refers to the large shock of red feathers on its head, called a crest. The word pileatus is Latin and translate to “cap” or “hat,” which I believe describes the prominent crest very well. They are very large birds standing nearly 20 inches tall and have a wingspan of 30 inches. Even though they look huge, they weigh only 11 ounces. Males have a red mustache and red forehead while the female has a black mustache and forehead. Both show a large white patch on their wings when in flight.
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