---

The sight of the largest woodpecker in Minnesota and third largest in the world, alway elicits an “on my” response due to their size and distinctive head coloration. We are fortunate they are year-round residents in the wooded part of our state as they brighten any winter day.

Sixteen to nineteen inches long with a span of 26 to 30 inches makes the pileated ( Dryocopus pileatus) a large woodpecker, but being birds they are light - 11 oz or less. Males and females look much alike except the male is a bit larger and has a red line from bill to throat, this line is black on the female and the female's red crest ends before reaching the bill. Both have a white leading edge on the wing, quite visible in flight. The young ones look much the same but lack the curve to the crest on top of the head.

The history of them being in and near the Wildflower Garden is varied. Minneapolis Bird Club member Mr. J. S. Futcher wrote for us in 1992 and said the “In those days (1940’s), if one wanted to see a Pileated Woodpecker, the Garden was the place to see it. That bird was not as common in the ‘40s and ‘50s as nowadays.”

Ken Avery was Gardener at Eloise Butler and worked there from 1954 until 1987. He wrote in 1976 “Two weeks ago I saw two Pileated Woodpeckers flying over Theodore Wirth Lake, This was a most welcome sight, When I first started at the Garden in 1954, the Pileated was a permanent resident and while not a year has passed without our seeing one, they have all been casual visitors for the last fifteen years. I hope that seeing two of them means that they are living here again.”

Fortunately for us, you can see and hear them every year now.

Below: A pair of young Pileateds approaching maturity - male and a female. Photo Andrew Brownsword. (3)

Notes:
(1)(3). These images are in the public domain
(2). This image is used under Creative Commons license CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=15537104