Species · BBS 2025 Release · 1966–2024

Pileated Woodpecker

Pileated Woodpecker has surged: up 108% on the route-weighted index since 1968.

+108%Since 1968

2,475Routes

58Years Surveyed

About the Pileated Woodpecker

The Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus) is a North American member of the Woodpeckers (Picidae). In this analysis it is grouped with the forest birds.

Size: 6–19.5 in long (15–50 cm) — a chisel-billed climber (typical for the family)
Habitat: Woodlands and forest edges, including wooded suburbs and parks.
Diet: Insects and spiders gleaned from foliage and bark, with seeds and berries in season.
Range: Recorded on 2,475 Breeding Bird Survey routes across 41 states, most concentrated in the Appalachian Mountains.
Family: Picidae · Forest birds

Notable Pileated Woodpecker Trends

long arc increasecomputed index

Pileated Woodpecker has surged in surveyed states: up 108% on the route-weighted index since 1968.

Pileated Woodpecker Population Forecast

If the recent trend holds, Pileated Woodpecker is projected to stay roughly flat through 2029, near 1.3 (95% range 1.2–1.5). A 5-year backtest shows a typical error of ±1.5%, with 100% of held-out values landing inside the 95% band.

+4%Change by 2029

1.3Projected 2029 index

1.2–1.595% range

±1.5%Backtest error

Projection of the recent trend (dashed) with 80/95% bands — a projection, not a prediction. Habitat, climate, and land use are not modeled.

Year	Projected index	95% low	95% high
2025	1.3	1.2	1.4
2026	1.3	1.2	1.4
2027	1.3	1.2	1.4
2028	1.3	1.2	1.5
2029	1.3	1.2	1.5

Where the Pileated Woodpecker Is Detected

BBS routes recording Pileated Woodpecker, sized by most recent count.

Pileated Woodpecker Population Trend by State

Pileated Woodpecker population trend by state.

Alabama	+67%	1968	104
Arkansas	+10%	1969	61
California	+177%	1970	92
Connecticut	+159%	1969	20
Delaware	42×	1971	15
Florida	+199%	1968	113
Georgia	+135%	1968	110
Idaho	+166%	1977	27
Illinois	+145%	1971	74
Indiana	+176%	1968	54
Iowa	insufficient data	n/a	6
Kansas	21×	2000	23
Kentucky	+16%	1968	63
Louisiana	+198%	1969	84
Maine	+113%	1968	75
Maryland	20×	1968	72
Massachusetts	14×	1971	24
Michigan	13×	1970	91
Minnesota	+881%	1969	75
Mississippi	+395%	1968	73
Missouri	+268%	1969	81
Montana	+96%	1971	30
New Hampshire	17×	1968	25
New Jersey	12×	1977	14
New York	+344%	1968	119
North Carolina	+198%	1968	108
North Dakota	+275%	1995	7
Ohio	+422%	1968	72
Oklahoma	+136%	1969	38
Oregon	+83%	1970	94
Pennsylvania	+440%	1968	125
Rhode Island	insufficient data	n/a	4
South Carolina	+48%	1968	50
South Dakota	insufficient data	n/a	1
Tennessee	+56%	1968	55
Texas	-22%	1969	62
Vermont	+316%	1968	25
Virginia	+193%	1968	87
Washington	+39%	1970	71
West Virginia	+62%	1968	63
Wisconsin	+376%	1968	88

Pileated Woodpecker Population Trend by Region

Bird Conservation Regions are the ecological unit for trends.

Pileated Woodpecker population trend by Bird Conservation Region.

Northern Pacific Rainforest	+17%	1970	122
Great Basin	+30%	1970	51
Northern Rockies	+319%	1971	93
Prairie Potholes	+146%	1979	22
Boreal Hardwood Transition	14×	1968	124
Lower Great Lakes / St. Lawrence Plain	+311%	1968	80
Atlantic Northern Forest	+429%	1968	150
Sierra Nevada	+251%	1974	31
Central Mixed Grass Prairie	+53%	2009	7
Oaks and Prairies	+435%	1969	37
Eastern Tallgrass Prairie	20×	1969	175
Prairie Hardwood Transition	+239%	1968	127
Central Hardwoods	+27%	1968	163
West Gulf Coastal Plain / Ouachitas	+25%	1969	110
Mississippi Alluvial Valley	+301%	1968	69
Southeastern Coastal Plain	+196%	1968	343
Appalachian Mountains	+158%	1968	397
Piedmont	+476%	1968	156
New England / Mid-Atlantic Coast	18×	1968	113
Peninsular Florida	+121%	1968	68
Coastal California	+5%	1971	17
Gulf Coastal Prairie	-60%	1969	20

Pileated Woodpecker Conservation Status

Our route-weighted index shows it up about 108% since 1968.

Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-05-22. Trend is a route-weighted relative-abundance index, not an absolute population.