Pileated Woodpecker

Pileated Woodpecker
Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park, Oakland, California, USA
May 2021
Member of the Woodpecker Family
§A Crown of Woodpeckers§
★The Largest North American Woodpecker★ (RIP to a real one)

{Etymology Corner} What's a Pileat? How does one become Pileated? And why did so many people think this bird was a Pleated Woodpecker? This bird was originally named (for European audiences) by Mark Catesby in 1729. It was called the Larger Red-crested Woodpecker. Carl 'the big guy' Linnaeus, went ahead and renamed it when he included it in his big book of species in 1758. Pileated means 'capped' in Latin, and Linnaeus was famously crazy for Latin, so now we're stuck with it forever. Since we were talking about it a few months ago, I would rank this bird as Tier A in the bird name tier list (purely descriptive). For what it's worth, I think the occasional Latin word snuck into a bird name is a little bit mysterious and exotic, but doesn't actually 'add' anything. I wouldn't want it happening more than it happens already, but I appreciate it when I see it.\

~True Bird Fact~ A big strong woodpecker who makes big strong holes. Both the feeding action and the nest digging of Pileateds are pretty dramatic. They have a distinctive rectangular shape and have been known to snap smaller trees in two inadvertently while excavating their nest cavities. These cavities can be really substantial and intricate, with multiple 'escape tunnels' and sticky sap barriers to stymie predators. The Pileated Woodpecker burrows become homes for many animals once they are abandoned. The woodpecker above was photographed while digging a hole, and you can see him above spitting a bunch of woodchips out. I hope his kids are doing good now.

So this picture also comes with a birding story that I just have to share with you, dear reader. The Pileated Woodpecker has been my 'nemesis bird' for pretty long time. One of the few birds that regularly make appearances around here that I fully had never seen, let alone photographed or blogged. So when an unusually detailed rare bird report about a Pileated Woodpecker excavating a nest in the nearby Oakland hills, I had to go check him out. Another experience chasing a 'rarity', although in this case, less rare, and less chasing, since this was like a 20 minute drive.

The only issue was that my wife was pregnant with our second child, and her due date was less than a week away. Long story short, at approximately the same I took this picture of a father woodpecker, preparing his nest, my wife's water broke. Being in the middle of the park, I did not have cell service for an approximately 2 hour window, and that's when the baby decided to come. So my experience was that as I got out of the no-connection area, I got to learn that my wife was being driven to the hospital by my mother, instead of by me. Not a great look!

Everything worked out in the end though. She wasn't upset, and I was able to meet her at the hospital instead. A few days later we were home with a new healthy baby girl. NB, this baby is also probably the reason bird blogs have become even less frequent in these trying times, but we're making an effort, reader! This (along with the time I drove the car into a ditch to get a picture of a bird, and some surfers had to pull over to help us get the car out) will live on forever in my wife's gleeful retelling of it.

Nuttall's Woodpecker

Nuttall's Woodpecker
Solstice Canyon Park, Malibu, California, USA
July 2018
Member of the Woodpecker Family
§A Descent of Woodpeckers§

~True Bird Fact~ Not a tremendously interesting bird, since most of the fun facts I could find about her were things like "she lives near oak trees, BUT DOESN'T EAT ACORNS!" We love to have fun here in the birding community. One thing that's kind of neat, that this bird has in common with last week's Island Jay, is that she developed into a distinct species as a result of a geological split (this time by a desert, not a body of water). Nuttall's speciated from the much larger-ranged Ladder-backed Woodpeckers some time between 2.5 million and 11 thousand years ago, and now only live in Califorina (both the US and Mexican states).

Big fan of 'fun' office supplies (i.e. You Don't Have to be Crazy to Work Here... But it Helps!)
Taking a karate class
They say she doesn't eat acorns, but she tries one every once in a while just to make sure she still doesn't like them



So we have another bird named after an old white dude, so you know what that means. It's another Naturalist Profile!

Thomas Nuttall

(1786 - 1859)

I swear half these guys are named Thomas. Anyway, Nuttall was mostly a botanist who did a lot of work cataloging the plants and trees of the young United States. Mostly considered to be a birding guy because of his popular bird book, Manual of the Ornithology of the United States and Canada, which he published in 1832. He also published the first complete record of the Tree Species of North America. It was called North American Sylva: Trees not described by F. A. Michaux. That's the name of another botanist who was working at the time, so yes, this book appears to be a 19th century sub-tweet.

He's got some other stuff named after him, but it appears to be mostly named in honor of him by other people. This woodpecker here, for example, was 'discovered' by his bro William Gambel, whose quail we are acquainted with. I'll take this to mean that he was well liked. He did go on a ton of expeditions and seems like he was very enthusiastic about nature. I give Thomas Nuttall 4/5 stars.

Gila Woodpecker

Gila Woodpecker (Carpentiro de Gila [woodpeckers are literally called Carpenters in Spansih])
Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, Mexico
November 2017
Member of the Woodpecker Family
§A Gatling of Woodpeckers§
A Climate-change Threatened Species

~true bird fact~ Even though many birds use cactus-based nests, this is the guy who creates most of them (at least in Saguaro and Mesquite plants). They excavate the holes working in pairs, and have to leave them to dry for several months in order for the cavity to become solid enough to use. After the woodpecker pair has moved on, many species will go on to use it. Pay it forward?

Seems gruff, but has a big heart
Goes as a Gila Monster every year for Halloween, can't get enough of that joke
Can often work so hard or long that he misses out on bonding time with family

Golden-fronted Woodpecker

Golden-fronted Woodpecker
Big Bend National Park, Texas, USA
July 2017
Member of the Woodpecker Family
§Descent of Woodpeckers§

~true bird fact~ A species that is, in many ways, mid-evolution. Golden-fronted Woodpeckers in the northern part of their range have begun interbreeding with Red-bellied Woodpeckers and are starting to look, genetically speaking, more closely related to them. Meanwhile, southern Golden-fronteds (which are, ironically, less golden and more red), are starting to look more like they ought to be a separate species. Bizarrely, this bird was once considered 4 different species before its current taxonomic form. No word on what this confusion does to the bird's sense of identity and relationships with his fellow woodpeckers. We may have a Professor Sylvester McMonkey McBean Sneeches situation here.

Exasperated
Always has a feeling like he's forgotten something
Prefers cake to pie

Johann Georg Wagler

1800-1832

Originally named this bird (usual caveat- for Western audiences). He was a lecturer and the assistant of an apparently much more famous and significant German biologist, who I've also never heard of. That would be Johann Baptist von Spix, who was well known for his work collecting and identifying Brazilian plants and animals, but also did some anthropological work on the native peoples there. Our man Johann Georg here never did visit the Americans, but he did extensive work of combing through and organizing the collection, and writing books with the other Johann about his discoveries. He was honestly more of a reptile guy. He died at age 32 when he accidentally shot himself while out in the field.

Red-breasted Sapsucker

Red-breasted Sapsucker
Healdsburg, California, USA
January 2017
Member of the Woodpecker Family
§A Slurp of Sapsuckers§ (.....gonna need a source on that whatbird.com)

~true bird fact~ Sapsuckers, as a species, have an interesting way of sustaining themselves that perpetrates them from other woodpecker species. As you might guess from the name, they drink sap. In fact, it's their primary food source. The fact that the sap attracts bugs that they can eat or feed to their young is just icing on the cake (this sounds like a pretty bad cake). Sapsuckers are often considerd a pest species because of the damage they do to live trees via their method of feeding. They're especially detrimental to the Gray Birch, 67% of which die to their Sapsucker-related injuries.

Learns just enough about any given interest to be dangerously misinformed
Makes a mean fruit salad
Cares very much about sapsucker related issues. Other birds, not so much
Never met a community event she didn't like

Hairy Woodpecker

Hairy Woodpecker
Alvarado Park, Richmond, California, USA
January 2015
Member of the Woodpecker Family
§A Descent of Woodpeckers§

~true bird fact~ Hairy Woodpeckers have been known to follows around other, larger woodpeckers like the Pileated Woodpecker, and takes advantage of the holes he started, but digs deeper, grabbing the insects the Pileated missed. They've also been observed drinking the sap out of holes started by Sapsuckers. I guess Hairy Woodpecker is not one to shy away from profiting off the work of others.

Workmanlike, methodical. Excels at office politics
Whenever he has down time, uses it to advance some other goal. Never relaxes
Really good at spotting spelling errors or bad grammar
Pushes your buttons

Northern Flicker

Northern Flicker
Roseville, California, USA
Member of the Woodpecker Family
§A Menorah of Flickers§ (?!)

~true woodpecker fact~ like many woodpeckers, these guys like to drum on objects. They find the loudest things they can and just go to town. You can often hear a woodpecker from a half a mile away if they've found something made of metal. They do this to mark their territory and communicate with each other.

~true northern flicker fact~ These come in two colors- yellow in the eastern US and red in the west. Check out those fancy tail feathers! They are the only woodpecker who mostly forages on the ground. Wow, you look that cool and that's your most interesting thing? Sheesh.

Boisterous and quick to speak up
Excellent social skills, never shows up to a party without a bottle of wine. An expert host and event planner
Likes to give advice to his friends. Sometimes to strangers
His favorite holiday is Easter

Acorn Woodpecker

Acorn Woodpecker
Member of the Woodpecker Family
Cameron Park, California, USA
~true bird fact~ The Acorn Woodpecker uses its wit and sharp beak to creates 'granary' trees, in which he stores tens of thousands of acorns in individually drilled holes. They look like this. Now that's what I call using your head!

An incorigable jokester who often gets carried away
Loyal to his friends, rude to strangers
Some of his opinions seem offense and politically incorrect, but it's hard to tell if he's just being edgy or if he really feels that way
Silly appearance belies a dark nature. Prone to depression, his friends should keep an eye out for him.