{"id":1164,"date":"2015-11-21T22:18:47","date_gmt":"2015-11-22T04:18:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lostpineslife.com\/?p=1164"},"modified":"2016-01-19T12:47:06","modified_gmt":"2016-01-19T18:47:06","slug":"knock-knock-whos-there","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lostpineslife.com\/?p=1164","title":{"rendered":"Knock-Knock–Who’s There?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Pileated Woodpecker<\/h3>\n

We always know when the Pileated Woodpecker is hungry. \u00a0His distinct and resonant hammering sound is the\u00a0loudest of the wood-pecking birds at Little Piney.<\/p>\n

No matter how many times I see a Pileated Woodpecker, it’s always a thrill. \u00a0At 15-19 inches tall, with a brilliant red crest, \u00a0shiny black back, pure white breast and underwings, \u00a0Pileated Woodpeckers are stunning birds even from a distance. \u00a0Close up, they are even more handsome with dramatic red, white, and black faces. \u00a0Their wingspan measures an impressive 29 inches.<\/p>\n

\"Pileated <\/a>
Pileated Woodpecker has a black “T: on the back of his head. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Pileated <\/a>
Pileated Woodpecker excavating a cavity in a dead pine tree. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Pileated <\/a>
Pileated Woodpecker excavating a cavity <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Pileated <\/a>
Pileated Woodpecker <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Pileated <\/a>
Pileated Woodpecker showing off his crest <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

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Mr. and Mrs. P. Woodpecker<\/h3>\n
\"Courting<\/a>
Courting Pileated Woodpeckers<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Pileated Woodpeckers are both monogamous and territorial; so chances are that the pair below, photographed last March, are the same birds \u00a0that I photographed today. \u00a0This species has been observed to live as long as 12 years.<\/p>\n

Pileated couples work together. \u00a0The female helps the male complete a large nest in a new location each year. Hollowed out of a large dead tree, the cavity measures up to 24 inches deep. \u00a0A woodpecker cavity can always be identified by its rectangular shape. \u00a0Each season the pair produces one brood of three to five chicks who stay with their parents until fall.<\/p>\n

Ever wondered if Woodpeckers’ heads hurt? \u00a0They have special sliding plates in their jaws that function as shock absorbers so that they can hammer away without getting concussions.<\/p>\n

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Short Video From Little Piney–Pileated Pair<\/h3>\n