Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus)

Birds of North Carolina: Pileated Woodpecker (Cornell Lab of Ornithology)
The Pileated Woodpecker is, by far, the largest and most spectacular woodpecker left still alive in the United States. It is strictly non-migratory and is found year-round in mature hardwood or mixed forests, preferably in bottomlands/swamps, but it also is found in upland forests, as well. A full day of birding in most areas of the state should turn up the species, though often only a distant bird calling (and not seen).

All About Birds: Pileated Woodpecker (The Cornell Lab of Ornithology)
Pileated Woodpeckers are nearly the size of a crow, black with bold white stripes down the neck and a flaming-red crest. Look (and listen) for them whacking at dead trees and fallen logs in search of their main prey, carpenter ants, leaving unique rectangular holes in the wood. The nest holes these birds make offer crucial shelter to many species including swifts, owls, ducks, bats, and pine martens.

Pileated Woodpecker (Wild Bird Watching)
The Pileated Woodpecker is the largest North American woodpecker. Measuring 16-19 inches long it has a red crest and black bill. The male Pileated has a red patch at the base of the bill whereas the female has a black patch at the base of the bill.

 Pileated Woodpecker (Wikipedia)
These birds mainly eat insects, especially carpenter ants and wood-boring beetle larvae. They also eat fruits, nuts, and berries, including poison ivy berries. Pileated woodpeckers often chip out large and roughly rectangular holes in trees while searching out insects, especially ant colonies.  They also lap up ants by reaching with their long tongues into crevices

Pileated Woodpecker (birdsounds.net)
Listen to the Pileated Woodpecker’s call and drumming.

Pileated Woodpecker (Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency)
Pileated Woodpeckers play an important role within their ecosystems by excavating cavities that are subsequently used by many other species including birds, small mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and invertebrates.