During winter and summer, the hammering sound of the Pileated Woodpecker can be heard throughout the Boreal Forest . These amazing birds often have a 2-foot wing span and are the largest woodpeckers in the Boreal Forest . Today we came a cross a tree where the woodpeckers have been hard at work. They are able to make huge holes with their beaks as they search for insects to eat. One Pileated Woodpecker was found with 2,600 ants in it's stomach! Can you imagine eating 2,600 ants!

Pileated Woodpeckers stay in the Boreal Forest throughout the year. While many birds are heading south for their yearly migration, the Pileated Woodpeckers are busying themselves searching for carpenter ants, their favorite food.

Most experts think that Pileated Woodpeckers find the ants by listening for them. Once a colony of ants has been found, the woodpecker begins pecking a hole into the tree. Their bill is anchored to their skull by a very thick bone which allows the birds to peck all day with out getting head ache. Also strong neck muscles help to absorb the tremendous force caused by each blow. The muscles in the woodpecker's neck are so strong that they can propel the beak into the tree at 15 miles per hour!

Seeing these birds in action, seeing the amazing amount of wood they are able to remove from a tree has given me a new found appreciation for these feathered lumberjacks of the Boreal Forest .