The Foraging Behavior of the Pileated Woodpecker

A very common sight in the forests of the northwest is a dead tree, seemingly pecked apart, like this:

Most likely, the carnage above was the result of the foraging behavior of the pileated woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus), the most common woodpecker in the northwest. It is an insectivore, and an old dead tree is a pretty good place to find insects.

Believe it or not, the same critter is responsible for the very regular holes created in this fairly healthy western redcedar tree:

In this case, the pecking is much harder, and the bird aligns the holes with the long, straight grain of the cedar tree to make the going a bit easier. In some cases, the holes are so nearly rectangular, it seems like a human must have been involved, but alas, that is not the case.

Here is the bird working on one of the very holes shown above:

Or you can catch the action with this little video:

These photos were taken on the Swamp Trail on the Tiger Mountain Tradition Plateau.