Pileated Woodpecker or Red-headed Woodpecker: What Are The Differences?

The Pileated Woodpecker and the Red-headed Woodpecker are two of the best known birds. One is easily identified by its solid red head, while the other is identified by its red crest. Both species have overlapping ranges, but that’s where the similarities end.

Pileated woodpeckers have a red crown and a long beak, while red-headed woodpeckers have a red head and a much shorter beak. Their plumage is completely different and they are easily distinguished by appearance alone. Also, Pileated woodpeckers are much larger than red-headed woodpeckers.

The eating habits of the two species of woodpeckers are also quite different. One exhibited classic pecking and picking behavior, while the other was primarily a flycatcher.

We will discuss the difference between capped and red-headed woodpeckers in more detail throughout this article. Read on to discover more about two fascinating species!

woodpecker

red headed woodpecker

Distribution difference

overlapping

The red-headed woodpecker is native to eastern North America. Their range extends from western Vermont to Florida and throughout eastern Texas and the Great Plains of Oklahoma overlapping westward. Both species also spread north into southeastern Kansas, eastern Iowa, Wisconsin, and Minnesota.

There is also a small amount of overlap between red-headed woodpeckers and woodpeckers in southeastern Ontario and southern Manitoba. The red-headed woodpecker has a relatively small range in Canada and is only seen during the breeding season, while the woodpecker is widely distributed.

The Pileated woodpecker overlaps with the red-headed woodpecker, mainly in eastern North America – the female Pileated woodpecker, pictured

difference

The woodpecker’s range extends throughout the northeastern United States, into Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. The species’ distribution continues westward through southern Quebec, Ontario, and Manitoba; northward through central Saskatchewan and Alberta, then southward through most of British Columbia .

Also, unlike the red-headed woodpecker, woodpeckers occur in the western United States from Washington to central California—west of the Cascade Mountains—as well as eastern Washington, northeastern Oregon, northern Idaho, and northwestern Montana.

The red-headed woodpecker has a wider distribution in the United States. Their breeding range extends north and west from Oklahoma, covering much of the Great Plains and ascending into eastern Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana.

The red-headed woodpecker has a wider distribution in the United States

Which is bigger, a woodpecker or a red-headed woodpecker?

Woodpeckers are larger than red-headed woodpeckers. It may be the largest woodpecker ever found in North America – as the tooth-billed woodpecker is thought to be extinct.

Often referred to as crow-sized, these birds are usually 40 to 49 centimeters long and weigh 250 to 350 grams. Pileated females are always smaller than males.

Red-headed woodpeckers, on the other hand, are medium-sized. They are between 19.4 and 23.5 centimeters in length and weigh between 56 and 91 grams.

The Pileated woodpecker is now considered the largest species of woodpecker in the United States

Which is more common, Pileated Woodpeckers or Red-headed Woodpeckers?

Pileated woodpeckers are more common than red-headed woodpeckers. Within its vast extent, an estimated 2.6 million people have accumulated. Due to their numbers, the species ranks low in conservation concern.

In contrast, the red-headed woodpecker is much rarer. Once upon a time, the bird was widespread across eastern North America, but numbers have been declining over the years, likely due to habitat loss.

Less common red-headed woodpecker – Red-headed woodpecker foraging in serviceberry bushes

Differences in Appearance and Behavior

head shape and eyes

Compared to the red-headed woodpecker, the post woodpecker has an elongated head, longer beak, and distinct red crest. The red-headed woodpecker has a rounder solid red head and a shorter beak.

Their eye color is also different. The red-headed woodpecker’s eyes are pure black, while the woodpecker’s black pupils are surrounded by golden-yellow irises.

Pileated Woodpecker Portrait

Close up of a redheaded woodpecker

flying and other sports

Woodpeckers are hardy and fairly noisy flyers. Their flight patterns are often choppy and slow. Like other woodpeckers, this species is well suited for vertical tree climbing.

The flight of the red-headed woodpecker is different from that of many other woodpeckers. It’s powerful but not as choppy, and they tend to catch insects in the air with grace.

Of course, red-headed woodpeckers can also climb vertically up and down trees, which is typical of all woodpeckers. However, their movements are usually sluggish.

Pileated Woodpecker in flight

Red-headed woodpecker in flight

eating and hunting

Woodpeckers are primarily diggers. They pry open long strips of bark to reveal insect passages underneath, collecting carpenter ants, wood-boring beetle larvae and other insects from branches, trunks and logs. This species also eats fruit and nuts, occasionally foraging on the ground.

For more information on woodpecker diets, check out this guide.

The diet of the red-headed woodpecker is somewhat different from other species. They are bark pickers, but not to the same extent as other woodpeckers. The redhead is an expert fly catcher, which is how it gets most of its food. These woodpeckers also eat a variety of nuts and seeds.

woodpecker foraging

feather

The two species of woodpeckers are easily distinguished by their plumage. Woodpeckers are predominantly black with a flame red crest and white stripes on the face and neck. They have white patches under their wings that are only visible when flying. Males also have red stripes on their cheeks.

The red-headed woodpecker, on the other hand, has a solid, bright red head, a black back, and large white patches on the wings. Their lower body is also mainly white.

woodpecker

red headed woodpecker

Female Pileated Woodpecker vs Female Red-headed Woodpecker

Female woodpeckers are almost twice the size of female red-headed woodpeckers. On average, they weigh 256 grams and are 40 to 48 centimeters long, while red-headed woodpeckers weigh 56 to 97 grams and are 19 to 25 centimeters long.

Red-headed woodpeckers are also monomorphic, meaning that female woodpeckers look identical to males. Woodpeckers, on the other hand, are sexually dimorphic (to a small extent).

Females of this species have a gray-black crest and red crest. She also doesn’t have the red cheek stripes that help identify males.

female woodpecker

female red-headed woodpecker

Juvenile Pileated Woodpecker vs Juvenile Red-headed Woodpecker

Like adults, juvenile woodpeckers are larger than juvenile red-headed woodpeckers. When just out of the nest, downy chicks weigh 170 to 240 grams, while red-headed woodpecker chicks weigh about 70 grams.

Eclosion times are similar for both species, between 24 and 28 days.

Plumage differences between the two species are also significant. Juvenile red-headed woodpeckers do not yet look like adults. They’re various shades of brown, not the redheads of the same name who are mostly black and white.

However, the juvenile plumage of a woodpecker is similar to that of an adult woodpecker. Their bodies are predominantly black with black and white striped faces and red crowns. The only difference is that juveniles are generally softer and have a shorter crest.

Juvenile Pileated Woodpecker

Juvenile Red-headed Woodpecker