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What the sources say

Pileated WoodpeckerDryocopus pileatus

Every figure, record and mechanism on the Pileated Woodpecker profile was written from a source, and this is the working table behind it: 40 claims checked word for word against these sources. The left column is what the page says. The right column is the source's own words, copied, not paraphrased; a ... marks a cut and[brackets] an insertion. Open any source and check it yourself.

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Source
01

Collinson 2007

Collinson (2007). Video analysis of the escape flight of Pileated Woodpecker Dryocopus pileatus: does the Ivory-billed Woodpecker Campephilus principalis persist in continental North America? BMC Biology.

The page saysFilmed fleeing, pileated woodpeckers flap rapidly just after take-off, then settle into a more relaxed level flight.
The source saysThe Pileated woodpeckers in DN's video do not do this – after initial rapid flapping immediately after take-off, they settle into a more relaxed level flight.Note: escape flights of known pileated woodpeckers filmed for the study

Source
02

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2025

Hylatomus pileatus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2025: e.T22681363A140984457.

The page saysLeast Concern
The source saysLeast ConcernNote: stats.conservationStatus; GBIF copy of the Red List

Source
03

Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan

Dryocopus pileatus (pileated woodpecker). Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.

The page saysDeciduous and coniferous forests across southern Canada and the eastern, midwestern and western United States, resident year-round
The source saysA permanent resident of deciduous or coniferous forests in southern Canada and in the western, midwestern, and eastern United StatesNote: stats.habitat
The page saysDeciduous and coniferous forests
The source saysA permanent resident of deciduous or coniferous forests in southern CanadaNote: stats.habitat
The page saysCarpenter ants and wood-boring beetle larvae, plus wild fruits and nuts
The source saysThis woodpecker feeds on insects, primarily carpenter ants and woodboring beetle larvae; also wild fruits and nuts.Note: stats.diet
The page saysA barbed, sticky, stretchy tongue that hauls ants out of tunnels inside wood
The source saysuses its long, extensible, pointed tongue with barbs and sticky saliva to catch and extract ants from tunnelsNote: stats.superpower
The page saysIts bill is chisel-shaped, and it pries off long slivers of wood to open up the tunnels where ants live.
The source sayschisel-shaped billNote: body
The page saysit pries off long slivers of wood to open up the tunnels where ants live
The source saysIt pries off long slivers of wood to expose ant galleries.Note: body
The page saysIts tongue is long, stretchy and pointed, with barbs and sticky saliva that snag ants out of their tunnels.
The source sayslong, extensible, pointed tongue with barbs and sticky saliva to catch and extract ants from tunnelsNote: blockquote
The page saysthe largest woodpecker found in most of North America, with a dull black body and a red crest
The source saysThe Pileated Woodpecker is the largest woodpecker found in most of North America.Note: body
The page saysa dull black body and a red crest
The source saysis best recognized by its large, dull black body and red crestNote: body
The page saysan average adult is about 364 grams
The source saysAverage mass 364 gNote: body
The page saysPileated woodpeckers live year-round in forests across southern Canada and the eastern, midwestern and western United States, from Nova Scotia south to Florida.
The source saysA permanent resident of deciduous or coniferous forests in southern Canada and in the western, midwestern, and eastern United StatesNote: body; Nova Scotia to Florida in the habitat range quote
The page saysA nest hole is about 8 inches wide and 2 feet deep
The source sayshollows out nests 8 inches wide and 2 feet deepNote: body
The page saysthose excavations provide habitat for many other species. That makes it a possible keystone species
The source saysthis woodpecker may be a keystone species because its nest excavations provide habitat for many other speciesNote: body
The page saysIt usually drums on a dead, resonant tree, and the drumming is used to proclaim a territory.
The source saysDrumming usually occurs atop a dead tree that resonates soundNote: body
The page saysMostly insects, especially carpenter ants and the larvae of wood-boring beetles.
The source saysThis woodpecker feeds on insects, primarily carpenter ants and woodboring beetle larvaeNote: faq
The page saysIt catches the ants with its tongue, which it can extend into their tunnels and which carries barbs and sticky saliva.
The source sayslong, extensible, pointed tongue with barbs and sticky saliva to catch and extract ants from tunnelsNote: faq
The page saysDrumming is used to proclaim a territory.
The source saysDrumming is used to proclaim a territory.
The page saysThey prefer to nest in moist areas close to streams.
The source saysPrefers to nest in mesic areas, close to streamsNote: mesic = moderately moist
The page saysIt drums most often in the morning, and more often in early spring as courtship begins.
The source saysmost frequent in the morining, but can occur through the day and increases in frequency during early spring as courtship activities beginNote: body; "morining" is the source's typo
The page saysA pileated woodpecker usually drums on a dead, resonant tree to proclaim its territory, most often in the morning.
The source saysDrumming usually occurs atop a dead tree that resonates soundNote: vibe.reason

Source
04

National Geographic

Pileated Woodpecker. National Geographic.

The page saysA crow-sized woodpecker that chisels rectangular holes into trees to reach the ants inside.
The source saysThese crow-sized birds present a memorable sightNote: tagline, crow-sized
The page sayschisels rectangular holes into trees to reach the ants inside
The source saysdigging large, rectangular holes in treesNote: tagline
The page saysThe holes it digs are big and rectangular, and they can be large enough to weaken a smaller tree or even snap it in half.
The source saysThese holes can be so large that they weaken smaller trees or even cause them to break in half.Note: body
The page saysIts body runs 16 to 19 inches long and its wingspan is 26 to 30 inches.
The source saysBody: 16 to 19 inches; wingspan: 26 to 30 inchesNote: body
The page saysIt weighs 8.8 to 12.3 ounces
The source saysWeight : 8.8 to 12.3 ouncesNote: body
The page saysLogging in the 19th and 20th centuries cut pileated numbers in eastern North America. As many of those forests have grown back in recent decades, woodpecker species have grown in number with them.
The source saysIn 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.Note: body
The page saysIt is about crow-sized.
The source saysThese crow-sized birds present a memorable sightNote: faq
The page saysa weight of 8.8 to 12.3 ounces
The source saysWeight : 8.8 to 12.3 ouncesNote: faq
The page sayswoodpecker species have grown in number with them
The source sayswoodpecker species have enjoyed corresponding growthNote: body
The page saysCrow-Sized, Zebra-Faced
The source saysThese crow-sized birds present a memorable sight with their zebra-striped heads and necksNote: heading
The page saysa body 16 to 19 inches long, a wingspan of 26 to 30 inches
The source saysBody: 16 to 19 inches; wingspan: 26 to 30 inchesNote: faq

Source
05

AnAge: The Animal Ageing and Longevity Database

AnAge entry for Dryocopus pileatus. AnAge: The Animal Ageing and Longevity Database.

The page saysThe database AnAge lists a maximum recorded longevity of 13 years in the wild.
The source saysMaximum longevity 13 years (wild)Note: body, faq
The page saysAnAge lists a maximum longevity of 13 years in the wild, drawn from the Bird Banding Laboratory's longevity records.
The source saysMaximum longevity 13 years (wild)Note: faq; ref [427] is BBL - Longevity Records of North American Birds

Source
06

Raley & Aubry 2006

Raley & Aubry (2006). Foraging Ecology of Pileated Woodpeckers in Coastal Forests of Washington. Journal of Wildlife Management.

The page sayscarpenter ants made up more than half of what these birds ate
The source saysPileated woodpeckers primarily consumed carpenter antsNote: body; the abstract gives 54 percent of diet (written 54%% in the cached text)
The page sayswith beetle larvae and termites filling in during the breeding season
The source saysround-headed beetle larvae (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae) and dampwood termites (Isoptera, Termopsidae) were important food items during the breeding seasonNote: body
The page saysIn one study of coastal forests in Washington State
The source sayswe studied food habits of pileated woodpeckers in coastal forestsNote: body

Source
07

Bull & Meslow 1988

Bull & Meslow (1988). Breeding biology of the pileated woodpecker—management implications. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station.

The page saysA study of 123 nests in northeastern Oregon found birds breeding at a year old
The source saysWe located and studied 123 pileated woodpecker ( Dryocopus pileatus ) nests from 1973 to 1983 in northeastern OregonNote: body
The page saysfound birds breeding at a year old, and some surviving to at least nine
The source saysThese birds nested at 1 year of age, and some lived at least 9 yearsNote: body

How the table was made: a writer drafted the profile from these sources and logged each claim with its quote, a reviewer with nothing but this table checked every sentence said no more than its quote, and a script confirmed each quote appears word for word in the source. The method is in the site'sAbout page.