Pileated Woodpecker

A striking feather from North America's largest extant woodpecker. The bird is crow-sized with a prominent flaming red crest, white neck stripes, and a powerful chisel-like beak.

Deep sooty black to brownish-black base with prominent bold white patches towards the base and mid-section of the inner vane; white color is structural/light-reflecting

Densely interlocked pennaceous barbs on the upper three-quarters; plumulaceous (downy) at the base near the calamus for insulation

Smooth, stiff, and somewhat glossy on the black sections; the white sections appear more matte; overall very rigid structure to support flight

Bold contrast between deep coal-black and brilliant white; extremely stiff rachis; rounded tip; large size compared to other North American woodpeckers

Deciduous and coniferous forests with large, standing dead trees (snags); often found in mature woodlots, parks, and wooded suburban areas

Non-migratory resident across much of Canada, the Eastern United States, and parts of the Pacific Northwest

Primary cavity excavator; acts as a 'keystone species' by creating habitat for owls, wood ducks, and mammals that cannot excavate their own holes

Northern Flicker (smaller, yellow or red shafts), Crow (entirely black), Ivory-billed Woodpecker (Extinct/Critically Rare, much larger white sections)

Pileated Woodpeckers create large rectangular holes in trees while foraging for carpenter ants; these cavities later provide critical nesting sites for many other species

Good condition; minor fraying at the trailing edge suggest it was a naturally molted feather; no obvious fault bars or parasite damage