Dryocopus pileatus

As I chipped away at the avalanche on the sidewalk Saturday morning I watched a giant Pileated chisel away at one of my larger oaks.  I had wondered if he was killing time all the while waiting for me to go back into the cabin so he could frequent the suet feeder.  After finally finishing the mess I did go back inside and settled down nicely to a coffee and some surfing.  Then it donned on me to look out the window.  Low and behold there he was.  He stayed for about 45 mins or more and got his fill from the feeder.  I'm certain he is a regular now.  I finally managed to get a couple decent pics of the fellow now that he is getting used to us.

I googled Pileated Woodpecker and this is what I came up with:


The Pileated Woodpecker is a member of the Picidae family in the avian order of Piciformes. All other living species of woodpecker are also members of Picidae. The Pileated Woodpecker's scientific name is Dryocopus pileatus, which means "crested tree-hitter".

The Pileated Woodpecker is an exceptionally large woodpecker. An adult is usually more than 40 cm long and about 400 grams in weight. In the field, its size alone usually gives it away. Another key field mark are the striking white wing bars that flash in flight. At rest, both sexes display a prominent red crest on top of the heads. In addition, the adult male has a red line from the bill to the throat. An adult female has the same line, but it is black.

Habitat/Diet
The Pileated Woodpecker resides in old coniferous or deciduous forests found in southern Canada and western, midwestern and eastern United States. Because the Pileated Woodpecker is so large, it needs larger trees for nests and to forage on. Its principal foods are beetle larvae and carpenter ants, which it vigorously excavates from standing dead tree trunks (snags). It is also known to eat berries and nuts.


Behavior/Reproduction
The Pileated Woodpecker is territorial, and is usually a
year-round resident. It characteristically calls in flight, emitting a staccato-like "laugh". It uses it's heavy, thick bill to excavate fist-sized holes in trees in the pursuit of its insect prey. It's location is usually easy to detect because of the loud hammering sound it makes as it digs.

Mating is almost always in monogamous pair bonds. The birds use their bills to excavate melon-sized cavities in large trees. The female will lay 3-5 eggs and both sexes will incubate the eggs for 15-18 days. When the young hatch, they are immobile, blind and helpless. Both parents will care for them for 26-28 days after hatching.

After learning this I googled Norland and this is what I learned:
Scientific name:  Smokus Lotsacockus

Usually found on the couch with his hand on his junk.  Favourite pastimes include cheesies and pornos, wallowing in the filth of his car, and marvelling at his underwear skid marks. His diet consists of anything imported, gay, and smoked.  This includes but is not limited to Morel and Monteray Jack Summer Sausage, Black Cherry Elk Salami and Horgendorfingleamerheimin faghole cheese.  And as for beer...well if you can't pronounce it that's his shizznit.