SongLark
Bird call
Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus) call
A loud, wild, ringing wuk-wuk-wuk-wuk that rises and falls, and slow, deep drumming.
Listen to the Pileated Woodpecker call
A field recording of the Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus) by Alexie, shared on iNaturalist. Listen for the Pileated Woodpecker in forest habitats.
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Sounds similar
Birds that sound similar to the Pileated Woodpecker
These birds belong to the woodpecker family, like the Pileated Woodpecker, so their calls can sound alike.
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Northern Flicker Colaptes auratus
A loud descending kee-yer and a long, even wick-wick-wick series.
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Downy Woodpecker Dryobates pubescens
A soft, flat pik and a whinnying rattle that falls in pitch toward the end.
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Red-bellied Woodpecker Melanerpes carolinus
A rolling, throaty kwirr or churr, repeated from the trunk.
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Acorn Woodpecker Melanerpes formicivorus
A laughing waka-waka-waka, several birds answering each other.
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Nuttall's Woodpecker Dryobates nuttallii
A rattling descending series and a sharp pitik; a California oak specialist.
Questions
Questions about the Pileated Woodpecker
What does the Pileated Woodpecker sound like?
A loud, wild, ringing wuk-wuk-wuk-wuk that rises and falls, and slow, deep drumming. Listen to the recording above.
Which birds sound like the Pileated Woodpecker?
Northern Flicker, Downy Woodpecker, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Acorn Woodpecker and Nuttall's Woodpecker sound similar.
Where can I hear the Pileated Woodpecker?
SongLark teaches it in two courses: Birds of the Pacific Northwest and Birds of Eastern North America.
How can I learn the Pileated Woodpecker call?
In SongLark's Birds of the Pacific Northwest course, it comes in Level 3: Douglas-fir Forest. SongLark teaches it by ear with real field recordings.
Courses
Learn this call in
SongLark teaches the Pileated Woodpecker in two courses: Birds of the Pacific Northwest and Birds of Eastern North America. Each course plays real field recordings and brings every bird back for review just before you would forget it.
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Birds of the Pacific Northwest54 birds · United States
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Birds of Eastern North America65 birds · United States
- In Birds of the Pacific Northwest, the Pileated Woodpecker comes in Level 3: Douglas-fir Forest. That Level is about moss, ferns and tall conifers from the Cascades to the coast.
- In Birds of Eastern North America, the Pileated Woodpecker comes in Level 3: Deciduous Forest. That Level is about songs from the leafy canopy.
Learn it with these birds in Level 3 of Birds of the Pacific Northwest
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Pacific Wren Troglodytes pacificus
A tiny bird with a huge voice: a long, tumbling cascade of high, tinkling trills from the mossy forest floor.
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Varied Thrush Ixoreus naevius
One long, eerie, buzzy whistle on a single pitch, then a pause and another on a different note.
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Chestnut-backed Chickadee Poecile rufescens
A fast, hoarse tsick-a-zee-zee, buzzier and higher than other chickadees.
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Golden-crowned Kinglet Regulus satrapa
Very high, thin see-see-see notes, often in threes, from flocks moving through the conifers.
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Ruby-crowned Kinglet Corthylio calendula
A dry scolding je-dit; astonishingly loud tumbling song for the size of the bird.
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Brown Creeper Certhia americana
A very high, thin seee, and a short, sweet song of high notes: trees, trees, beautiful trees.
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Band-tailed Pigeon Patagioenas fasciata
A deep, owl-like, two-part whoo-hoo, slow and soft, from the forest canopy.
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Common Raven Corvus corax
A deep, hoarse, croaking gronk, much lower than a crow, plus knocks and bell-like notes.
Get SongLark
Learn Pileated Woodpecker in SongLark
Install SongLark, sign in, and choose a course that teaches the Pileated Woodpecker.
- Your first course is free. When you first sign in, you choose one course to keep.
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