Pileated Woodpecker, Warren Dunes Resident

This woodpecker, about the size of a crow, has sort of a pre-historic look when it flies and moves around the woods. With a large red crest and white feathers under wing, it's not hard to identify. The adult male sports a red "mustache" behind the bill.

The genus name, Dryocopus, means "tree clever" or "wood cutter" according to the National Audubon Society Encyclopedia of North American Birds (John K, Terres, 1980). This name fits because of the large excavations the bird makes during its search for food and during nest building.

The pileated woodpecker has been a regular visitor to an old, partly deceased black cherry behind our house in Bridgman. Besides black cherry, I have seen its rectangular-shaped excavations on sassafras trees while hiking in Warren Dunes State Park, in Sawyer Michigan.

The habitat requirements for this woodpecker are large, mostly undisturbed tracts of woods with mature trees.

This picture was taken behind our house on February 10, 2007. A male and female pair has been seen in the area lately.