Pileated Woodpecker Female In Action

Pileated woodpeckers can peck up to 20 times per second. They mainly eat insects, especially carpenter ants and wood-boring beetle larvae. They also eat fruits, nuts, and berries. Pileated woodpeckers often chip out large and roughly rectangular holes in trees while searching out insects. They lap up ants by reaching with their long tongues into crevices. The tongue (one-third of its body length) is anchored in the head, wrapping around the back of their brains. It gives the brain a cushion-like support.