Pileated woodpeckers are large, cavity-nesting birds that feed mainly on insects, fruits, berries, and nuts. They search for insects by using their beaks to hammer out huge rectangular holes in the trunks and branches of trees.

What They Eat
Although pileated woodpeckers eat insects, fruits, berries, and nuts, carpenter ants are their favorite. These ants make nests in rotting trees and stumps, and are captured deep inside their tunnels by the pileated’s long tongue.

Where They Live
You are most likely to see pileated woodpeckers in thick forests near rivers or lakes. Look up high in tall trees, especially dead ones. These year-round residents are Minnesota’s biggest woodpeckers and may be the largest remaining in North America.

What They Do
Pileated woodpeckers cling to the sides of trees and knock. They may be drumming to search for food, build nests for their young, or declare their territory. They are year-round Minnesota residents, and create new nests in the hollows of dead trees each year.

How They’re Doing
Pileated woodpeckers are currently doing just fine.

The famous cartoon character Woody Woodpecker was modeled after a pilated woodpecker.

Both male and female pileated woodpeckers sport a red crest on top of their head. The male has a red "mustache” and the female's is black.

Because of the large holes they make, Pileated woodpeckers can sometimes cause a small tree to break in half.

Look for pileated woodpeckers and other native bird species, in the aviary along the Medtronic Minnesota Trail. 

Care at the Zoo

Bird exhibits at the zoo are set up to mimic the same habitat the individuals would have in the wild. Woodpeckers hammer out holes in trees not only to look for food, but also to build nests. In order to satisfy their natural instinct to chisel away at tree trunks with their beaks, the zoo’s exhibit team built an artificial nest cavity in one of the trees in their exhibit. To keep the birds challenged, the entrance to the nest cavity can be blocked with pieces of wood or filled with woodchips to give them more to excavate.

In addition to enrichment provided by the zookeepers, the birds in our Minnesota Trail outdoor aviary are frequently visited by wild birds. This includes several pileated woodpeckers that make their home on zoo grounds. They often “visit” our woodpeckers and can be seen on the other side of the exhibit looking in.

Unlike the their wild visitors, zoo birds have the option of escaping the elements. They can take advantage of the heat lamps in their aviary or they can go indoors. Even when given a choice, the birds generally prefer to remain outside and use exhibit trees and shrubs for cover.