{"id":3851,"date":"2015-09-26T09:43:21","date_gmt":"2015-09-26T13:43:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/naturalcrooks.com\/rambles\/?p=3851"},"modified":"2021-01-14T21:14:24","modified_gmt":"2021-01-15T02:14:24","slug":"what-bird-large-crow-sized-black-red-crest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/naturalcrooks.com\/rambles\/what-bird-large-crow-sized-black-red-crest\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is This Large Crow-Sized Black Bird with the Bright Red Crest?"},"content":{"rendered":"

I\u2019ve seen Pileated Woodpeckers off and on all year. There was a pair at the Rattray that decided to tear apart some logs on the ground right in front of me\u2026in the deep shade. There was a female there on another visit who worked steadily on a dead Ash tree trunk\u2026on the opposite side of the trunk to that facing the path and me. A duo of youngsters landed near me while I was watching a Broad-winged Hawk in eastern Ontario this summer and one perched in silhouette for a minute before they moved on calling\u2026down into a private home\u2019s yard. I greatly enjoyed all of these sightings but I always regretted the lack of a decent\u00a0 photo or two. So yesterday, when a Pileated put in a brief appearance overhead in a tree along the river road path at Riverwood Conservancy, I took a few proof photos but fully expected it to move off away from the paths and therefore out of camera sight.<\/p>\n

\"Photo<\/a><\/p>\n

To my surprise, and great pleasure, this male decided to humour me. Instead of moving inland, it moved and stayed on one of a group of 6 trees fairly close to the path leading up towards the main boardwalks. It was hunting and it explored a few dead and dying Ash trees, a willow and a Manitoba Maple while I watched.<\/p>\n

Is This a Male or a Female Pileated Woodpecker?<\/h2>\n

\"Photo<\/a><\/p>\n

At first I thought this was a female Pileated. Unlike many woodpeckers, both males and females have the bright red crest. The males, though, have a red \u201cmustache\u201d line coming back from their bill along the side of their head. On the females, this line is black. Because of the backlit conditions when I first saw this bird, the \u2018stache looked black. Later checking, though showed it was red.<\/p>\n

I could have looked at the forehead over the eyes, too. On the male, it\u2019s red. On the female, it\u2019s grey. I didn\u2019t know that at the time, though.<\/p>\n

The Emerald Ash Borer Brings a Bonanza of Dead and Dying Trees to the Forest<\/h2>\n

Three, well, five actually, of the trees this bird worked on while I watched at the two locations were dead or dying Ash trees. It had an interesting technique. The Pileated would stay still, head cocked slightly, bill open. Then it would move and pry and flip off a piece of bark, or drill an extremely short hole into the tree trunk.<\/p>\n

\"Photo<\/a><\/p>\n

For those of you familiar with the huge rectangular gouges a Pileated can make if it really wants to get into a tree, this delicate approach might be surprising.<\/p>\n

From time to time, it switched trees. Only when it flew did the startlingly large patches of white on the underside of the wings and the small but noticeable patches of white on the top of the wings show.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s In This Knothole?<\/h2>\n

\"Photo<\/a><\/p>\n

He also spent a long time doing something to this knothole. For several minutes, the bird stuck its head deep into the hole, then withdrew it and swallowed, only to repeat the action. I\u2019m not sure if it was eating something from inside, or drinking rainwater collected in the upwards tilting hole. It certainly seemed to find that whichever it was satisfied it.<\/p>\n

\"Photo<\/a><\/p>\n

While the Pileated was working away, it occasionally called but just a quiet mutter. I\u2019m pretty sure I heard a reply from uphill but I\u2019m not positive. For sure, I did hear the Red-bellied Woodpeckers in the area. One even flew by briefly but did not seem bothered to have this much larger bird in its territory. I suspect the feeding patterns of the two sizes of woodpeckers differ enough that they don\u2019t compete.<\/p>\n

\"Photo<\/a>
\nI believe this is its tongue sticking out but I’m not 100% sure.<\/em><\/p>\n

This isn\u2019t the first time I\u2019ve seen or heard Pileateds at Riverwood but it was the longest time I\u2019ve got to watch one, undisturbed, as it worked. In fact, it kept foraging despite a steady stream of dogs, joggers, bicycles, and even on one occasion a person carrying a radio blaring dance music passing very nearby on the path. So I hope I\u2019ll get another good look at one in the future: they are very interesting birds and impressive to watch at work.<\/p>\n

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