An injured Pileaed Woodpecker at Witter Wildlife Refuge Photo by James Orr

We were taking one of the few breaks we get from feeding animals to watch a TV show when all heck broke loose.  It sounded like the washing machine had broken a bearing and was about to bang itself to pieces.

I ran down stairs to discover the washing machine was not even running.  The loud banging had stopped and I could not tell out where it had come from.    I figured it must have been our horse outside banging his gate  to ask for a refill of his oat bucket.  He seemed quiet  and content when I looked in on him  but I gave him a handful of grain anyway in the hope I might get to see the end of the TV show. 

I checked around to make sure all the other animals were OK and went back to watching what was left of the program.  About the time the climax of the story started to unfold an even louder banging started downstairs that sounded more like gun shorts or fireworks than a horse banging a gate.

I muted the television to try to pinpoint the ruckus but of coarse it had stopped leaving my mind to guess its origin.  It is always dangerous to leave solving mysteries up to my mind.  I was torn between paranormal activities and shootout between neighbors when my wife suggested it might be the Pileated Woodpecker we had brought home from surgery the day before.

I must admit it made more sense than my solutions but I could not imagine an injured bird with a body wrap of bandages making more noise than a horse.   It turned out it was the bird that had not only learned to balance with his full body wrap but had discovered pecking a hard plastic pet porter made enough noise to wake the dead (I had to get the paranormal stuff in their somehow).

The Pileated Woodpecker is the largest woodpecker with the exception of the recently rediscovered Ivory Bill thought to be extinct until just recently spotted in Arkansas.  I suspect Woody Woodpecker was fashioned after a Pileated variety as they have a gorgeous pointed red head dress, stand up 14 to 19  inches tall and can have a wingspan of over two feet .

Although they eat nuts, berries, and fruit their principle diet is bugs.  They have a long sticky bushy tongue that allows them to extract insects from deep crevices.  They are particularly fond of carpenter ants that they dig out of dead and dying trees with their powerful 2 inch long beak.

Pileated Woodpeckers are a very shy bird that live in heavily forested areas.  They  do not socialize with other birds.

They live primarily in cavities they make themselves in pine trees.  The holes are very large, three to four inches wide and up to twelve inches long.  The cleaver bird builder strips back several inches of bark around the hole to create a sticky sap ring that keeps snakes and predators out of nest cavity.  Pileated woodpeckers often have several roosting cavities they use at the same time and at least one new one under construction.

At one time they were considered endangered as a result of extensive timbering and loss of forest land in the 20’s and 30’s.  They have recently made a comeback and although not endangered are rarely seen by the average person.

The male assist the female in incubating the eggs.  He takes the night shift while she roosts nearby.  They feed the nestlings regurgitated food.  The babies open their eyes in about 10 days but  do not leave the nest cavity until the 27th day.  By the 15th day however they like to peer out of the nest and announce the arrival of meals on wings with a soft “churring” call.

Our noisy house guest had been found along the road apparently having been hit by a car.  He had a dislocated wing, a massive hematoma and some bleeding.  After a visit to the friendly bird doctor, a few stitches, antibiotics, and a bandage body wrap he apparently decided he disliked his accommodations or was enjoying his new found ability to exceed all sound ordinance decibel levels by playing the hard plastic cage.

I gave him a rotted log to work on, some worms, cat food and nuts.  That kept him quiet until well after midnight.  You know what they say, “early bird gets the worm”....”wildlife rehabilitators get no sleep”.

DONATIONS NEEDED If you would like to help any donation amount  it is greatly appreciated.  Donations should be made out to Witter Wildlife Refuge and can be sent to P.O. Box 1118, Huntsville AR 72740.

See web page under "HOW YOU CAN HELP" for specific ways you can help us help wildlife