Pileated Woodpecker

Shown here outside their nest entrance, these large pileated woodpeckers are among the most striking birds in Alabama's woodlands. Their preferred diet is carpenter ants, and they notably leave heavily torn up decaying logs and trees in their wake as they search for food in woodlands.

Two pileated woodpeckers with bright red crests cling to a tree trunk beside a large cavity, with one spreading its wings.
Photo courtesy of Geoffrey E. Hill
Two pileated woodpeckers with bright red crests cling to a tree trunk beside a large cavity, with one spreading its wings.