Pileated woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus)

When someone says the word "woodpecker," your mind's eye likely conjures up a bird like the one I saw in Seward Park, Seattle earlier this week.

The pileated woodpecker is the largest woodpecker in North America (excluding UFO-like sightings of the EXTINCT Ivory-Billed Woodpecker). This bird is very large, giving it a dinosaur-like quality when you come upon it unexpectedly. I could identify this bird as a female from the lack of a red stripe on the cheek.