In the winter forest, the wild cry of the pileated woodpecker seems to travel farther through the bare branches of the trees. Pileated woodpeckers can be found year-round in Arkansas. They are the largest woodpecker native to Arkansas (assuming the ivory-billed woodpecker is extinct).
They are often mistaken for ivory billeds by novice birdwatchers. Pileated woodpeckers are about the size of crows, with black and white plumage and bright red crests. They tend to be shy of people and seldom visit feeders unless it is for suet.
They are considered to be both an indicator species, indicative of the health of the mature forests in which they live, and also a keystone species, because they create habitat for other birds and wildlife and thus increase biodiversity.