In October 2023, I saw a Pileated woodpecker and a Steller’s jay chasing each other near the Sentinel/Cook's Meadow of Yosemite National Park in California, USA. I don’t know who was chasing whom. It may be a fight for territory behavior. I've seen Pileated woodpeckers before in Pennsylvania, but this is the first time I've seen it in California.
The Pileated Woodpecker is a large woodpecker, nearly the size of a crow, native to North America. Its breeding habitat is forested areas across Canada, the eastern United States, and parts of the Pacific Coast. They live in mature deciduous or mixed deciduous-coniferous woodlands of nearly every type. They can also be found in younger forests that have scattered, large, dead trees or a ready supply of decaying, downed wood. Throughout their range, they can also be found in suburban areas with large trees and patches of woodland. Pileated woodpeckers mainly eat insects, especially carpenter ants and wood-boring beetle larvae. They also eat fruits, nuts, and berries, including poison ivy berries. Usually, pileated woodpeckers excavate their large nests in the cavities of dead trees. The roost of a pileated woodpecker usually has multiple entrance holes. In April, the hole made by the male attracts a female for mating and raising their young. Once the brood is raised, the birds abandon the hole and do not use it the next year. When abandoned, these holes—made similarly by all woodpeckers—provide good homes in future years for many forest songbirds and a wide variety of other animals. Pileated woodpeckers are monogamous and hold large territories. They are not migratory.
2023年10月我在美國加州的約塞米蒂國家公園哨兵/庫克草原附近看到一隻北美洲黑啄木鳥及一隻暗冠藍鴉追來追去，不知道誰追誰，可能為了爭戰領地而有的行為。我以前在賓州有看過北美洲黑啄木鳥，在加州這還是第一次。北美洲黑啄木鳥 (或稱紅冠黑啄木鳥) 是一種大型啄木鳥，體型接近烏鴉，原產於北美。它們的繁殖棲息地是加拿大的森林地區、美國東部和太平洋海岸部分地區。它們生活在幾乎所有類型的成熟落葉林或落葉針葉林混合林中。也可以在較幼小的森林中找到它們，只要森林有疏疏落落的、大的、枯死的樹木，或有現成腐爛、倒下的木材。在整個分佈範圍內，在有大樹和小片林地的郊區也可以看到它們。北美洲黑啄木鳥主要吃昆蟲，特別是木蟻和蛀木甲蟲幼蟲。它們也吃水果、堅果和漿果，包括毒藤漿果。通常北美洲黑啄木鳥在死樹的空洞中挖掘它們的大巢。啄木鳥的棲息處通常有多個入口孔。四月公鳥挖的洞會吸引母鳥交配並撫養雛鳥。一旦雛鳥長大，鳥兒就會放棄這個洞，第二年不再使用它。當洞被遺棄時，這些由啄木鳥鑿的洞在未來幾年會為許多森林鳴禽和各種其他動物提供了好的家。北美洲黑啄是一夫一妻制，擁有廣闊的領地。它們並不遷徙。
Notes 筆記
- The Pileated Woodpecker is a large woodpecker, nearly the size of a crow, native to North America. "Pileated" refers to the bird's prominent red crest, from the Latin pileatus meaning "capped". It is black with bold white stripes down the neck and a flaming-red crest.
- The pileated woodpecker's breeding habitat is forested areas across Canada, the eastern United States, and parts of the Pacific Coast. They live in mature deciduous or mixed deciduous-coniferous woodlands of nearly every type. They can also be found in younger forests that have scattered, large, dead trees or a ready supply of decaying, downed wood. Throughout their range, Pileated Woodpeckers can also be found in suburban areas with large trees and patches of woodland.
- Pileated woodpeckers mainly eat insects, especially carpenter ants and wood-boring beetle larvae. They dig characteristically rectangular holes in trees to find ants. These excavations can be so broad and deep that they can cause small trees to break in half. They also eat fruits, nuts, and berries, including poison ivy berries.
- Usually, pileated woodpeckers excavate their large nests in the cavities of dead trees. The roost of a pileated woodpecker usually has multiple entrance holes. In April, the hole made by the male attracts a female for mating and raising their young. Once the brood is raised, the birds abandon the hole and do not use it the next year. When abandoned, these holes—made similarly by all woodpeckers—provide good homes in future years for many forest songbirds and a wide variety of other animals.
- Pileated woodpeckers are monogamous and hold large territories. They are not migratory. They defend the territory in all seasons, but will tolerate new arrivals during the winter. When clashing with conspecifics, they engage in much chasing, calling, striking with the wings, and jabbing with the bill. Drumming is most common during courtship and to proclaim territory.
- Pileated woodpeckers have been observed to move to another site if any eggs have fallen out of the nest—a rare habit in birds. The cavity is unlined except for wood chips. Both parents incubate three to five eggs.
- Their flight is strong, but slow and slightly undulating; the wingbeats are deep but quick and somewhat unevenly paced.
- 北美洲黑啄木鳥 (或稱紅冠黑啄木鳥) 是一種大型啄木鳥，體型接近烏鴉，原產於北美。「Pileated」來自拉丁語的 pilatus，指的是這種鳥顯眼的紅冠，意思是「有蓋的」。 它是黑色的，脖子上有醒目的白色條紋，還有火紅色的羽冠。
- 北美洲黑啄木鳥的繁殖棲息地是加拿大的森林地區、美國東部和太平洋海岸部分地區。它們生活在幾乎所有類型的成熟落葉林或落葉針葉林混合林中。也可以在較幼小的森林中找到它們，只要森林有疏疏落落的、大的、枯死的樹木，或有現成腐爛、倒下的木材。在整個分佈範圍內，在有大樹和小片林地的郊區也可以看到北美洲黑啄木鳥。
- 北美洲黑啄木鳥主要吃昆蟲，特別是木蟻和蛀木甲蟲幼蟲。它們在樹上挖特有的矩形洞來找螞蟻，這些挖掘的洞可能又寬又深，有可能導緻小樹斷成兩半。它們也吃水果、堅果和漿果，包括毒藤漿果。
- 通常北美洲黑啄木鳥在死樹的空洞中挖掘它們的大巢。啄木鳥的棲息處通常有多個入口孔。 四月公鳥挖的洞會吸引母鳥交配並撫養雛鳥。一旦雛鳥長大，鳥兒就會放棄這個洞，第二年不再使用它。當洞被遺棄時，這些由啄木鳥鑿的洞在未來幾年會為許多森林鳴禽和各種其他動物提供了好的家。
- 北美洲黑啄是一夫一妻制，擁有廣闊的領地。它們並不遷徙。它們四季都保衛地盤但會容忍冬季新來的鳥。當與同種動物發生衝突時，它們會大追逐、叫喊、用翅膀擊打、用喙刺戳。求愛和宣示領地時，最常見它們咚咚地敲擊。
- 據觀察如果北美洲黑啄木鳥的蛋從巢中掉下來，它們就會移到另一個地方 - 這在鳥類中是罕見的習慣。除木片外，巢穴沒有舖別的東西。父母雙方會孵化三到五個蛋。
- 它們的飛行強勁，但速度緩慢而且有一點忽高忽低；翅膀的拍打深沉但快速，有著參差不齊的步調。
Birds Posts 鳥的帖子
References 參考資料
- Wikipedia: Pileated woodpecker
- All about birds: Pileated Woodpecker