# What bird would this be?



## Steve (Jan 15, 2000)

I don't think I've ever seen this bird up north before and unfortunately I didn't get a picture of it. My description isn't very good either as I saw it only briefly in flight. It was on a low flight through the woods, had a red head and neck (I think) and black wings and was rather large. Any ideas?


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## bluedevil (Feb 13, 2003)

By rather large do you mean like the size of, or even a little smaller than a crow? May have been a Pilated(sd?) woodpecker????

Look anything like this??


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## multibeard (Mar 3, 2002)

That would be my guess as well.

I have seen quite a few of them this spring.


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## Linda G. (Mar 28, 2002)

Pileateds, the original "Woody Woodpecker" that the cartoon character was modeled after, have returned to the north after many years of low numbers due to the DDT thing, like the eagles and a number of other species. I first saw one up here about 15 years ago, now, they're common. 

Pileateds have an unearthly scream that until you understand what creature is making that sound will make the hair stand up on the back of your neck. 

They are destructive to trees with the large, oval holes they'll drill into trees, but they are also warning you-that this tree is full of bugs and probably unsafe to have around buildings or people. If that tree is around any of those things, cut it down for safety. The woodpecker won't suffer-there's plenty of trees full of bugs these days...


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## Steve (Jan 15, 2000)

Yeap that's the guy.


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## Airoh (Jan 19, 2000)

Probably a pileated. If you saw some white on its lower backas it was flying away it may have been a flicker. They're pretty big(bigger than a robin) but smaller than a pileated.
Saw my first pileated twenty years ago outside Tawas.
I see them pretty regular now. Watched one fly into a tree with a porcupine. last week while turkey hunting.


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## Adam Waszak (Apr 12, 2004)

They are large and loud birds when you are deer hunting and have one in the same tree trust me. Neat birds to watch though they sure can hammer the tree with their beaks.

Aw


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## Steve (Jan 15, 2000)

Yeap that's the guy for sure. Thanks for the info.


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