Pileated Woodpeckers in Louisiana
When pileated woodpeckers are present in Louisiana, when they nest, which native Louisiana plants feed them, and how to host them in a USDA 8a–10a yard.
- Status in Louisiana
- Year-round resident
- Nesting window
- March–June
- Broods
- 1 per season
- Hardiness zones
- USDA 8a–10a
When to expect pileated woodpeckers in Louisiana
Pileated Woodpeckers live in Louisiana all year. Mild winters make Louisiana a major wintering ground for sparrows, wrens, and even western hummingbirds. That makes the cold months the time your yard matters most to them: their winter diet shifts toward beetle larvae, sumac and holly fruit.
Humid subtropical, with coastal marsh, bottomland hardwood forest and piney uplands in the north.
Nesting in Louisiana
Across Louisiana, pileated woodpeckers typically nest from March–June. Nest site: large excavated cavity in dead trees. Females lay 3–5 eggs, incubate for 15–18 days, and young leave the nest after 24–31 days.
Very hot, humid summers and hurricane season June–November.
- Pileated Woodpeckers don't use nest boxes. Keep dense native shrubs and trees such as flowering dogwood, eastern red cedar, serviceberry for nest sites.
- Delay heavy pruning of shrubs until after June.
Native Louisiana plants that attract pileated woodpeckers
Of the regional native plants we track for Louisiana, these 8 provide food or cover pileated woodpeckers use:
Fat-rich red fall fruit taken by thrushes, bluebirds and woodpeckers.
Dense evergreen roost cover and bluish 'berries' eaten through winter.
Early-summer berries arrive exactly when nestlings are being fed.
Deciduous holly holding red fruit into mid-winter.
Red fruit heads hang on through winter.
Acorns plus hundreds of caterpillar species for nestling food.
Drought-hardy prairie oak with large acorns and a heavy insect load.
Summer fruit and one of the top caterpillar host trees.
Feeding pileated woodpeckers through the Louisiana year
Pileateds visit backyards near mature woods and use large tail-prop suet feeders.
- Best foods: Suet.
- In Louisiana's winter: Mild winters make Louisiana a major wintering ground for sparrows, wrens, and even western hummingbirds.
Full diet breakdown for pileated woodpeckers · Best feeder for pileated woodpeckers
Frequently asked
Are pileated woodpeckers in Louisiana year-round?
Yes. Pileated Woodpeckers are year-round residents in Louisiana.
When do pileated woodpeckers nest in Louisiana?
Nesting in Louisiana typically runs March–June, with 1 per season. Clutches are 3–5 eggs, incubated for 15–18 days.
What native plants attract pileated woodpeckers in Louisiana?
Flowering dogwood, Eastern red cedar, Serviceberry, Winterberry, Smooth sumac, White oak, Bur oak, Black cherry are native plants in Louisiana that provide food or cover for pileated woodpeckers.
Pileated Woodpeckers in other regions
Other backyard birds in Louisiana
Sources
- Pileated Woodpecker — All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology
- Pileated Woodpecker life history — Cornell Lab of Ornithology
- Pileated Woodpecker — Audubon Guide to North American Birds
- eBird region overview and bar charts — Louisiana
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (2023)
- Audubon Native Plants Database
Timing reflects typical patterns for the region as a whole; local dates vary with elevation and year. Check the linked eBird bar charts for your county.