skip to main content

Pileated woodpecker behavior

cearbhaill (zone 6b Eastern Kentucky)

12 years ago

Just a random observation of behavior I found odd- yesterday I sat outside and watched a juvenile Pileated Woodpecker (I assume juvenile- he was much smaller than others I have seen about- they love suet) sneak up on a decorative tree stump I have in the yard. He flew to one tree, peeked out from behind it then flew to another and peeked at me- repeat that 3 or 4 times. When he got to the tree closest to the stump he hopped down the tree- hop, hop, hop, hop like he was rappelling down a rock face which I thought was odd.

I did not know if that is their normal way of descending a tree- why didn't he just fly down?

Then he hopped up on the stump and pecked and ate bugs for 15 minutes.

But it was the hop hop hop hop that was weird.

This is probably old hat to experienced birders but I am new to this climate and am finding my woodpeckers some of the more entertaining birds in my yard.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (5)

birding_nut
12 years ago
Hitching down a tree trunk is common for woodpeckers. They usually do that to move short distances downward, especially while foraging. However, if the distance is great, say the bird wants to move from the top of the tree to the base of the trunk, it will usually fly down. However, in flight, woodpeckers are more vulnerable to predators, by remaining on the tree trunk and hitching down, they can easily duck around the other side of the tree to avoid a predator.

BN
kendra2003
12 years ago
There are perching birds and there are clinging birds. Woodpeckers, Nuthatches, and Brown Creepers come to mind as clinging birds. They do that hop up and down the tree thing. If you observe them when they try to walk on something flat like a deck railing, you will see they kind of hop on their haunches. They seem to be out of their element on a horizontal surface.
Related Discussions
Pileated woodpecker in NVA
Q
Comments (1)
They tend to stay together for life. I have them at the feeders all year altho more in the winter. Male has red cheek and the female black
...See More
Pileated Woodpeckers
Q
Comments (1)
To reply to someone else's post, after reading their message, simply scroll down the very page all the way to the bottom and you should be able to type your message, hit "preview message" and then hit "submit". If there's a mistake, just correct the error, preview the message once more, and then hit "submit." That's a nice shot of a pileated. Not sure about 2 females. Hopefully an expert will answer your question.
...See More
Advice needed for pileated woodpecker suet feeder
Q
Comments (8)
no advice, just chiming in to say I'm jealous! If I saw a pileated wood pecker on my property I'd be thrilled. I hope you're successful in finding a suet feeder the squirrels won't monopolize. this is an interesting feeder, the pileated is enjoying it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXePlTk8sFg The long bottom looks like it's so they can brace themselves against it or stay steady (cause they're so BIG!) this one says that bottom is a 'kick stand'. They show a suet feeder that is 'somewhat squirrel resistant' ymmv http://wildbirdsunlimited.typepad.com/the_zen_birdfeeder/2010/04/bird-feeders-for-pileated-woodpeckers-think-big.html no ideas here, just a really cool video of one eating suet w/a view from above http://www.care2.com/causes/hungry-woodpecker-chowing-on-suet-video.html this lady had a good idea 'You have several options. Pileated tend to like tailprops. So, my suggestion is to baffle a tail prop from a tree with an erva disk (green). It has to be positioned 10 ft from the tree trunk, as squirrels can jump laterally 10 ft. It also has to be high enough that they will not jump from the bottom. When the squirrel attempts to go over it, the baffle will dump the squirrel to the ground. This will take a few times, but the tenacious little guy will give up and move on. Hope this helps.' the site her post is on http://community.birdsandblooms.com/forums/t/4063.aspx baffles seem to be the best bet. That was what was suggested to me earlier this year on this forum when I was having trouble with squirrels on my suet feeders. I ended up w/a cage-type suet feeder which isn't used as heavily as the reg. cage feeder, but the squirrels can't get to it, so it does work. Pileated are just too big to bother w/a cage I think. They say cayenne helps keep squirrels out of suet & birdseed. Years ago, I tried sprinkling it in w/dry birdseed but didn't see enough difference to continue. Also, the hot pepper can be dangerous to other wildlife. Maybe if you can find suet that has it added already, you could try? Good luck, it's great seeing them & having them on your property would be really cool!
...See More
Pileated Woodpecker in our woods this morning!
Q
Comments (1)
Awesome! We've only seen them a couple times and they were just passing through. They are quite impressive, aren't they?
...See More
cearbhaill (zone 6b Eastern Kentucky)
Original Author
12 years ago
Fascinating, thanks!
gymell
12 years ago
Juvenile woodpeckers aren't smaller than their parents. The way you can tell that they are juvenile is by time of year behavior (begging, being fed by an adult) or by eye color. Juveniles have brown eyes and adults have yellow.
dewsy2
9 years ago
I, too, am fascinated by bird behavior and especially woodpeckers. I recently watched a pair of Pileated Woodpeckers fly in and land in the woods beside my house (in NC). They split up, each finding a downed log amd pulverizing the wood in search of insects. I watched for about 15 min til they explored a couple of live trees then left. The long, close-up observation of their strength was amazing.

Related Stories

GARDENING FOR BIRDS Backyard Birds: How to Identify Two Common Woodpeckers

By Habitat Network

Downy and hairy woodpeckers have similar coloration and behavior. But there are two big differences that separate them

GARDENING GUIDES Backyard Birds: Healthy Home Habitats for Northern Flickers

By Habitat Network

These colorful woodpeckers found across the U.S. and Canada love berries, seeds and ants and often nest in deep burrows in trees

GARDENING FOR BIRDS Backyard Birds: Meet Some Clever and Curious Jays

By Habitat Network

Boisterous jays provide plenty of backyard bird-watching in winter. Here’s how to identify all the varieties and welcome them into your yard

GARDENING FOR BIRDS Backyard Birds: Those Nutty Nuthatches

By Habitat Network

The North American songbirds, which often perch upside down, make themselves known in the winter landscape

GARDENING GUIDES Backyard Birds: Northern Cardinals in the Snow, and Other Red Birds

By Habitat Network

Brilliant crimson feathers make these friends stand out in a crowd

GARDENING FOR BIRDS Backyard Birds: Marvel at Chickadees This Winter

By Habitat Network

These North American natives flock to bird feeders and entertain with their complex birdcalls

GARDENING FOR BIRDS Wild Birds Transform a Woman’s Garden and Life

By Mary Jo Bowling

How Sharon Sorenson created a wildlife haven and became the Bird Lady of Southern Indiana

GARDENING AND LANDSCAPING Be a Citizen Scientist to Help Wildlife, Learn and Have Fun Too

By Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

Track butterflies, study birds, capture stars ... when you aid monitoring efforts, you’re lending Mother Nature a hand

LIFE How to Outsmart Backyard Critters

By Tiffany Carboni

Learn to think like a raccoon, skunk or squirrel to keep your home safe and your garden intact

GARDENING FOR BUTTERFLIES A Quick-Start Guide to Bird-Watching for Fun and Learning

By Alison Hodgson

Set out some seed and grab your field guide. Bird-watching is an easy, entertaining and educational activity for the whole family

Sponsored

More Discussions

A MORE SPECIFIC QUESTION, PLEASE

0

What bird is this?

2

Did you know Hummingbird-flower mites?

0

where is everybody?

0