Pileated Woodpeckers are the largest woodpeckers in America and live year-round in Florida. Mostly black and white, their brilliant red crest is their most notable feature. Pileated woodpeckers leave characteristic rectangular holes in dead trees by excavating deep into rotten wood to get at the nests of carpenter ants.

Ecologically, all woodpeckers are important to the well-being of many other bird species. Once their babies leave the nest, the birds abandon the hole and do not use it again. These abandoned nests provide good homes for many forest songbirds. Owls, tree-nesting ducks, and raccoons  nest in the holes made by pileated woodpeckers. Other woodpeckers and smaller birds, such as wrens, feed on the insects found in abandoned nests.

Our case of the week, Pileated Woodpecker (24-4693), was found in a building and unable to fly. During CROW intake, our staff noted that he appeared to suffer from a head trauma or soft tissue trauma. Although he can perch, he’s not attempting to fly and favors his right wing. Radiography, though, shows no obvious fractures or abnormalities.

Our staff’s biggest concern at this stage is this patient is only eating a few mealworms and berries. He isn’t eating enough to thrive and maintain a healthy weight. Staff is syringe feeding him daily to supplement his diet and keep him healthy. To help him exercise his right wing, the woodpecker starts physical therapy this week and will be moved to a larger enclosure.

CROW Case of the Week stories are written and edited by Laura Lloyd. These stories appear weekly in Santiva Chronicle.