Dryocopus pileatus; Print; The pileated woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus) is a woodpecker native to North America. This insectivorous bird is a mostly sedentary inhabitant of deciduous forests in eastern North America; the Great Lakes; the boreal forests of Canada; and parts of the Pacific Coast. It is the second-largest woodpecker on the continent; after the critically endangered ivory-billed woodpecker. The term "pileated" refers to the bird's prominent red crest; with the term from the Latin pileatus meaning "capped".; 1700-1880