Uploaded May 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
A young Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus) follows his father, looking for food in a large Water Oak (Quercus nigra), near the Arrowwood Pond, at the Houston Arboretum & Nature Center, in Houston, TX, USA.
The two Woodpeckers look very similar, except that the younger one's crest is a tiny bit duller and more orange than the elder's bright red crest, and the younger one's eyes are more brown vs. yellow. The older one also has hints of yellow around his face (maybe stained while feeding his son).
The two Woodpeckers behave very differently though. The elder bird constantly pecks with strong, confident strokes, while the younger bird is much more tentative. Apparently, after fledging, young birds will follow one or both parents for a few weeks to a few months.
Maybe young Woodpeckers take a while to develop the strength and and coordination to peck like pros? In the meantime, the elder bird here seems to be more than capable of finding lots of food and even stops at one point to feed his son, who probably isn't quite capable of feeding himself fully.
Towards the end of the video, the elder Woodpecker seems to intentionally peck at wood that is in the younger Woodpecker's eyeline, perhaps hoping that his son will learn by watching, but the younger bird seems too focused on his own pecking, and the elder bird hops on to another tree.
A young Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus) follows his father, looking for food in a large Water Oak (Quercus nigra), near the Arrowwood Pond, at the Houston Arboretum & Nature Center, in Houston, TX, USA.
The two Woodpeckers look very similar, except that the younger one's crest is a tiny bit duller and more orange than the elder's bright red crest, and the younger one's eyes are more brown vs. yellow. The older one also has hints of yellow around his face (maybe stained while feeding his son).
The two Woodpeckers behave very differently though. The elder bird constantly pecks with strong, confident strokes, while the younger bird is much more tentative. Apparently, after fledging, young birds will follow one or both parents for a few weeks to a few months.
Maybe young Woodpeckers take a while to develop the strength and and coordination to peck like pros? In the meantime, the elder bird here seems to be more than capable of finding lots of food and even stops at one point to feed his son, who probably isn't quite capable of feeding himself fully.
Towards the end of the video, the elder Woodpecker seems to intentionally peck at wood that is in the younger Woodpecker's eyeline, perhaps hoping that his son will learn by watching, but the younger bird seems too focused on his own pecking, and the elder bird hops on to another tree.
