"Pileated woodpeckers are the largest of the common woodpeckers
found in most of North America. These crow-sized birds present a
memorable sight with their zebra-striped heads and necks, long bills,
and distinctive red crests.
Pileated woodpeckers forage for their
favorite meal, carpenter ants, by digging large, rectangular holes in
trees. These holes can be so large that they weaken smaller trees or
even cause them to break in half. Other birds are often attracted to
these large openings, eager to access any exposed insects.
Pileated
woodpeckers do not discriminate between coniferous and deciduous
trees—as long as they yield the ants and beetle larvae that make up much
of the birds' diet. Woodpeckers sometimes access these morsels by
peeling long strips of bark from the tree, but they also forage on the
ground and supplement their diet with fruits and nuts.
The
enthusiastic drumming that creates such holes sounds like a loud
hammering, and is audible for a great distance. Woodpeckers also drum to
attract mates and to announce the boundaries of their territories.
Pairs establish territories and live on them all year long.
The
birds typically choose large, older trees for nesting and usually
inhabit a tree hole. In eastern North America, pileated woodpeckers
declined as their forest habitats were systematically logged in the 19th
and 20th centuries. In recent decades, many forests have regenerated,
and woodpecker species have enjoyed corresponding growth. The birds have
proven to be adaptable to changing forest conditions."
avots - http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birds/pileated-woodpecker/