Pileated Woodpecker

Staff and visitors at the Audubon Center at Francis Beidler Forest have long sought a good picture of, even a good look at, a Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus). This large woodpecker is fairly shy and quickly flies off when it detects nearby humans. As periodic news accounts air or are printed, this is also the woodpecker that is mistaken for the thought-to-be extinct Ivory-billed Woodpecker.

Yesterday, visitors heading to the Francis Beidler Forest discovered a Pileated Woodpecker near the side of the road. When they approached the bird, it did not fly off, so they assumed that it had been hit by a passing car. They called the nature center and reported that they would be bringing in the bird. As luck would have it, Jeff Mollenhauer, Audubon South Carolina's Director of Bird Conservation, was on weekend duty. A quick look at the bird told Jeff that it was uninjured, but could not fly as it had not yet developed the necessary flight feathers. The images show the young bird that had left its nest cavity prior to developing flight capability. The parents were likely nearby and will continue to feed their young even if the young remain grounded. The bird was quickly returned to the spot where it had been "rescued."

Pileated Woodpeckers bond year-round and remain on the same territory during that time. The male will roost in the nest cavity prior to egg laying and will roost in previous years' cavities at other times of the year. At night, the male incubates the eggs. If a nest cavity is compromised or the tree itself falls, Pileated Woodpeckers have been observed carrying their eggs to other nest cavities. The chicks are fed a mixture of regurgitated insects (75%), fruits, nuts, acorns, and sap. Yum!

If you hear the Woody Woodpecker chatter of the cartoons, take a quick look around and you may catch a glimpse of the red mohawk-wearing headbanger of the swamp!

Images by Cole McKinney

Click here for an image by Ron Wright