Ontario · Year-round resident

Pileated Woodpeckers in Ontario

When pileated woodpeckers are present in Ontario, when they nest, which native Ontario plants feed them, and how to host them in a Canadian zones 0a–7a yard.

Woodpeckers (Picidae)Pileated WoodpeckerDryocopus pileatus

Status in Ontario: Year-round resident
Nesting window: May–June
Broods: 1 per season
Hardiness zones: Canadian zones 0a–7a (southern Ontario roughly equivalent to USDA 4–6)

When to expect pileated woodpeckers in Ontario

Pileated Woodpeckers live in Ontario all year. Cold, snowy winters; feeder flocks are dominated by chickadees, nuthatches, woodpeckers and finches. 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 continental in the south, boreal and subarctic in the north; most backyard birding happens in the southern Great Lakes lowlands.

Nesting in Ontario

Across Ontario, pileated woodpeckers typically nest from May–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.

Short, warm summers; Point Pelee and Long Point are continent-famous migration sites.

Pileated Woodpeckers don't use nest boxes. Keep dense native shrubs and trees such as red-osier dogwood, sugar maple, flowering dogwood for nest sites.
Delay heavy pruning of shrubs until after June.

Native Ontario plants that attract pileated woodpeckers

Of the regional native plants we track for Ontario, these 8 provide food or cover pileated woodpeckers use:

Red-osier dogwood

Cornus sericea · Shrub

Fruit and cover.

Sugar maple

Acer saccharum · Tree

Insects, seeds and cavities.

Flowering dogwood

Cornus florida · Tree

Fat-rich red fall fruit taken by thrushes, bluebirds and woodpeckers.

Eastern red cedar

Juniperus virginiana · Tree

Dense evergreen roost cover and bluish 'berries' eaten through winter.

Serviceberry

Amelanchier arborea · Tree

Early-summer berries arrive exactly when nestlings are being fed.

Winterberry

Ilex verticillata · Shrub

Deciduous holly holding red fruit into mid-winter.

Staghorn sumac

Rhus typhina · Shrub

Fruit clusters persist all winter as emergency food.

Smooth sumac

Rhus glabra · Shrub

Red fruit heads hang on through winter.

Feeding pileated woodpeckers through the Ontario year

Pileateds visit backyards near mature woods and use large tail-prop suet feeders.

Best foods: Suet.
In Ontario's winter: Cold, snowy winters; feeder flocks are dominated by chickadees, nuthatches, woodpeckers and finches.

Full diet breakdown for pileated woodpeckers · Best feeder for pileated woodpeckers

Frequently asked

Are pileated woodpeckers in Ontario year-round?

Yes. Pileated Woodpeckers are year-round residents in Ontario.

When do pileated woodpeckers nest in Ontario?

Nesting in Ontario typically runs May–June, with 1 per season. Clutches are 3–5 eggs, incubated for 15–18 days.

What native plants attract pileated woodpeckers in Ontario?

Red-osier dogwood, Sugar maple, Flowering dogwood, Eastern red cedar, Serviceberry, Winterberry, Staghorn sumac, Smooth sumac are native plants in Ontario that provide food or cover for pileated woodpeckers.

Other backyard birds in Ontario

Northern Cardinal Eastern Bluebird Black-capped Chickadee Purple Martin Downy Woodpecker Hairy Woodpecker American Goldfinch Tufted Titmouse White-breasted Nuthatch House Wren Blue Jay House Finch Purple Finch Ruby-throated Hummingbird Carolina Wren Mourning Dove American Robin Dark-eyed Junco White-throated Sparrow Song Sparrow Chipping Sparrow Red-bellied Woodpecker Northern Flicker Red-headed Woodpecker Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Red-breasted Nuthatch Brown Creeper Common Grackle Red-winged Blackbird Baltimore Oriole Orchard Oriole Rose-breasted Grosbeak Evening Grosbeak Pine Siskin Common Redpoll Indigo Bunting Eastern Towhee Gray Catbird Brown Thrasher Cedar Waxwing Tree Swallow Barn Swallow Eastern Phoebe Chimney Swift Yellow-rumped Warbler Pine Warbler Eastern Screech-Owl Wood Thrush Great Crested Flycatcher Eastern Kingbird American Tree Sparrow House Sparrow European Starling Canada Jay

Sources

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.