The Pileated Woodpecker is one of the largest forest birds on the continent. Pileated Woodpecker nest holes are uniquely rectangular and offer crucial shelter to many species including swifts, owls, ducks, bats and pine martens. The Pileated Woodpecker digs rectangular holes in trees to find ants. When the Pileated Woodpecker excavates or hammers on a tree looking for food it hits the tree with its beak with a force equivalent to slamming into the tree at 25 mph. The Pileated Woodpecker and all woodpeckers have an enlarged brain case which allows the brain to sit above the level of the direct hammer impact. The Pileated Woodpecker's tongue is three times as long as its bill. Pileated Woodpeckers are monogamous and a pair will stay together on its territory year round, defending the territory in all seasons but tolerating new arrivals during the winter. Other woodpeckers and House Wrens may come and feed at the excavation site of a Pileated Woodpecker. Pileated Woodpeckers prefer large trees for nesting and depend on dead and mature trees and snags. The Pileated Woodpecker's primary food is carpenter ants, supplemented by other ants, woodboring beetle larvae, termites and other insects. They will also eat wild fruits and nuts and will visit backyard feeders for seeds or suet. The male Pileated Woodpecker excavates the nesting hole with some help from the female. The hole is lined only with wood chips left from the construction. It takes 3 - 6 weeks to create the nesting hole and it can be anywhere from 10 to 24 inches deep. Pileated Woodpeckers lay 3 - 5 white eggs with the average clutch size being 3 - 4. The oldest known Pileated Woodpecker was 12 years, 11 months old.
