Pileated Woodpecker
Pileated WoodpeckerPileated WoodpeckerPileated WoodpeckerPileated Woodpecker

Pileated Woodpecker

Dryocopus pileatus

<5% · Rare
overall probability at Cape Breton Highlands National Park
22 Verified records at Cape Breton Highlands National Park
December Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's active during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

The pileated woodpecker ( PY-lee-ay-tid, PIL-ee-; Dryocopus pileatus) is a large, crow-sized woodpecker with a prominent red crest, white neck stripe, and a mostly black body. This woodpecker is native to North America, where it is the largest confirmed extant woodpecker species and the third-largest extant species of woodpecker in the world, after the great slaty woodpecker and the black woodpecker. It inhabits deciduous forests in eastern North America, the Great Lakes, the boreal forests of Canada, and parts of the Pacific Coast. This woodpecker is primarily an insectivore, eating insects that live in trees; it is famous for making large, nearly rectangular carvings into trees, which are used to extract prey inside the tree or to make a nest. Wikipedia →

<5% of wildlife watchers report a Pileated Woodpecker sighting in Cape Breton Highlands National Park, based on 22 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

Closest Relatives at Cape Breton Highlands National Park

Northern Flicker
LC Endemic

Northern Flicker

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Colaptes auratus

20–30% · Possible
Downy Woodpecker
LC

Downy Woodpecker

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Dryobates pubescens

20–30% · Possible
Hairy Woodpecker
LC Endemic

Hairy Woodpecker

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Leuconotopicus villosus

10–20% · With luck
Black-backed Woodpecker
LC

Black-backed Woodpecker

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Picoides arcticus

<5% · Rare
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
LC

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Sphyrapicus varius

<5% · Rare
Red-bellied Woodpecker
LC

Red-bellied Woodpecker

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Melanerpes carolinus

Insufficient data

📅 Monthly Probability

5–10
Jan
<5
Feb
5–10
Mar
<5
Apr
<5
May
<5
Jun
<5
Jul
<5
Aug
<5
Sep
<5
Oct
<5
Nov
10–20
Dec

☀️ When They're Spotted

Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)

☀️Diurnal
☀️🌙🌙12am6am12pm6pm12am

Global Distribution

Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.

where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is)  ·  parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Probability
1 Congaree National Park 🇺🇸 United States
80–90%
2 Isle Royale National Park 🇺🇸 United States
40–50%
3 Shenandoah National Park 🇺🇸 United States
30–40%
4 Big Cypress National Preserve 🇺🇸 United States
30–40%
5 Great Smoky Mountains National Park 🇺🇸 United States
20–30%
6 Yosemite National Park 🇺🇸 United States
20–30%
7 Elk Island National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
20–30%
8 Everglades National Park 🇺🇸 United States
10–20%
9 Riding Mountain National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
10–20%
10 Glacier National Park 🇺🇸 United States
10–20%
11 Voyageurs National Park 🇺🇸 United States
10–20%
12 Redwood National Park 🇺🇸 United States
10–20%
13 Acadia National Park 🇺🇸 United States
10–20%
14 Jasper National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
10–20%
15 Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks 🇺🇸 United States
10–20%
16 Banff National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
5–10%
17 Olympic National Park 🇺🇸 United States
5–10%
18 Great Bear Rainforest 🇨🇦 Canada
5–10%
19 Cape Breton Highlands National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
20 Pacific Rim National Park Reserve 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
21 Point Pelee National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
22 Wood Buffalo National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
Insufficient data
23 Grand Teton National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
24 Yellowstone National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Pileated Woodpecker in Cape Breton Highlands National Park?

About 4% of wildlife watchers report a Pileated Woodpecker sighting in Cape Breton Highlands National Park, based on 22 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Pileated Woodpecker in Cape Breton Highlands National Park?

December has the highest sighting rate for Pileated Woodpecker in Cape Breton Highlands National Park in our monthly data.

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