SIERRA NEVADA BIRDS – FEATHERS IN THE RANGE OF LIGHT Blog Post #21
California’s “Range of Light” is home to a diverse array of both colorful and cryptic birds (the feathers). It is my intent to use my passion for birds and photography to paint a story about 120 of the most common or most sought-after Sierra Nevada (Range of Light) birds by most nature enthusiasts.
Sierra Nevada Birds – Feathers in the Range of Light is a Reflections of the Natural World Blog Post Series by Jim Gain
WHAT’S IN A NAME
Pileated Woodpecker – Dryocopus pileatus
Gr. druokopos woodpecker, L. pileatus capped
“Pileated” refers to the bird’s prominent red crest, from the Latin pileatus meaning “capped”
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
Pileated woodpeckers are mainly black with a red crest, and have a white line down the sides of the throat. Younger specimens tend to have less curved crests, or “mohawks” as some refer to them. They show white on the wings in flight.
Adult males have a red line from the bill to the throat; in adult females these are black.
DISTRIBUTION & OCCURRENCE IN THE SIERRA NEVADA
The Pileated Woodpecker is an uncommon to fairly common yearround resident in the Sierra Nevada in the Lower and Upper Montane biotic zones.
CONSERVATION STATUS – IUCN Red List Category
The Pileated Woodpecker (PIWO) is classified as Least Concern by the IUCN.
Redlist Classification Justification: This species has an extremely large range, the population trend appears to be increasing, and the population size is very large. For these reasons the species is evaluated as Least Concern. (DataZone PIWO Link)
PLAYING WITH PHOTOSHOP – Poster Edges Filter
Paint Dabs Filter
Reflections of the Natural World 