Whether hiking along Bear Meadows Bog, walking around the Soaring Eagle Wetland or deer hunting on a mountain, I am always thrilled to see a pileated woodpecker. Sure to make an impression on first time viewers, the pileated woodpecker with its large size and flashy color pattern will catch and hold the eyes of even the most-seasoned bird watchers.
Standing 16 to 19 inches tall, the pileated is the largest woodpecker in the northeast. Its closest relative, the slightly larger and more southerly ivory-billed woodpecker, is believed to be extinct.
Other Keystone State woodpeckers include the downy, hairy, red-headed and red-bellied woodpeckers, as well as the northern flicker and the yellow-bellied sapsucker. Even the largest of these is considerably smaller than a pileated woodpecker.