Range Expansion of the Pileated Woodpecker in North Dakota

Natural history writings from explorers such as M. Lewis, W. Clark, J. J.
Audubon, S. F. Baird, and E. Coues failed to mention the pileated woodpecker
(Dryocopus pileatus) in North Dakota throughout the 1800's. The first published
reference to the species was in the early 1900's in the valley of the Red River
of the North, part of the Agassiz Lake Plain of eastern North Dakota. Sightings
increased in the Agassiz Lake Plain in the mid-1900's but remained rare west of
the Agassiz Lake Plain until the late 1900's. Ornithologists suggest that the
species has recently established small, permanent populations in the Turtle
Mountains, Devils Lake area, and along the Sheyenne River, especially in the
Sheyenne National Grassland. I present information that supports the idea that
the pileated woodpecker is establishing populations in the aforementioned areas
and is moving even farther west. I also document the presence of the pileated
woodpecker along the James River and the first record for Stutsman County.

The purpose of the information is to present information that supports the idea
that the pileated woodpecker is establishing populations in Turtle Mountains,
Devils Lake area and long the Sheyenne River and is moving even farther west.