Scat Analysis of the Arthropod Component of Pileated Woodpecker Diet

Examination of an animal's digestive tract is often used to determine its diet (Korschgen 1971). Destructive sampling, however, is not always compatible with research objectives or laws governing wildlife. This is especially true when studying sparse populations or following the activities of individuals or family groups. The examination of a bird's scat is a nondestructive method of determining its diet (Downing 1940, Eaton et al. 1970). In this paper, the authors report on the scat contents of Pileated Woodpeckers, Dryocopus pileatus , at different times of the year in the Starkey Experimental Forest, Union County, NE Oregon.