Identifying the Ivory-billed Woodpecker and the Pileated Woodpecker

Think you have seen an Ivory-billed Woodpecker? Or perhaps you are planning on searching for one? Here are important field marks and other information you'll need to distinguish Ivory-billed Woodpeckers from Pileated Woodpeckers.

Ivory-billed Woodpecker
Campephilus principalis

• Habitat is old-growth river forest
• Feeds primarily on beetle larvae
• Large bird, approximately 19½ inches long
• Pale ivory-white bill
• Dark face and dark chin
• Crest is curved and pointed
• Male's crest is bright red; female's is entirely black
• Two white stripes, which don't touch the bill, run from either side of the head and converge on the lower back
• White secondary feathers give appearance of a white "saddle" on the back
• Tail feathers are long and come to a point
• White trailing edge of the wing
• Call is a single loud tooting sound, somewhat similar to a nuthatch ( Ivory-billed Woodpecker Call recorded in 1935; © 2005 Cornell Lab of Ornithology)
• Makes strong, single or double raps on trees
• Trees with extensively peeled bark are a characteristic sign of ivory-bill foraging

Pileated Woodpecker
Dryocopus pileatus

• Inhabits a wide variety of mature forest types
• Feeds on carpenter ants in fallen trees and stumps
• Crow-sized bird, approximately 16½ inches long
• Dark-colored bill
• White chin. Male has red "moustache" on the face, touching the bill
• Male and female have red caps, not as pointed as an ivory-bill
• Two white stripes on the face touch the bill and run under wings
• Solid-colored back
• Shape of the tail feathers is more rounded
• Dark trailing edge of the wing
• Call is a single loud "kuk" or irregular series of notes, somewhat similar to a northern flicker
• Makes loud, territorial "drumming" sound
• Excavates long, rectangular holes in trees

The following diagrams show field marks of Ivory-billed Woodpeckers and other species with similar species. Select the thumbnail for a larger image (PDF File-105 KB). All images courtesy of David Allen Sibley.

Additional Information:
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) brochure about the Ivory-billed Woodpecker
(PDF File)

The renowned artist David Allen Sibley has painted a "mock field guide page" for the Ivory-billed Woodpecker, showing characteristic field marks for both male and female birds. (PDF File)

Historical range map of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker, plus additional maps depicting the Ivory-billed Woodpeckers range in 1880 and 1930.