Does the Pileated Woodpecker Migrate?

Pileated woodpeckers are considered non-migratory birds. However, some studies have shown that populations of these red-heads increase in southern Canada and southern New England during wintertime.

What do pileated woodpeckers do in the winter?

Pileated woodpeckers are the opposite: in the winter, each woodpecker excavates its own hole and roosts by itself. The male woodpecker often uses the same hole used for nesting; the young birds have already dispersed by winter.

Do woodpeckers migrate for the winter?

Across most of its range it is resident, but in the north some will migrate if the conifer cone crop fails. Some individuals have a tendency to wander, leading to the recent recolonisation of Ireland and to vagrancy to North America.