Description
This $20 fine silver coin features a vibrant selectively coloured image of a Pileated Woodpecker, and is the final coin in the four piece series that celebrates the centennial of landmark conservation measures introduced at the 1916 Migratory Birds Convention. The coin is struck in just over one ounce of fine silver, with a mintage limited to 6,500 worldwide. As a pure silver coin issued by the Royal Canadian Mint, it is GST/HST exempt.
The Design:
The reverse design by Canadian artist Claudio D’Angelo features an intricately engraved portrait of a pileated woodpecker in a forest setting. The side-profile view offers a sense of the bird’s large size as it takes flight on broad wings, with feathers splayed in a dramatic fashion. Vibrant colour naturally draws the eye to the red crest atop its head, which offers a gorgeous splash of colour above the black and white stripes that run down its neck and re-appear along its flight feathers. Rising up in the engraved background is a mighty maple tree, where large chiseled holes in the bark provide evidence of the woodpecker’s feeding activity before its majestic flight.
The Pileated Woodpecker:
The Pileated Woodpecker is one of the biggest, most striking forest birds on the continent. It’s nearly the size of a crow, black with bold white stripes down the neck and a flaming-red crest. Typically this bird makes a high, clear, series of piping calls that lasts several seconds. The pileated woodpecker “whacks” at dead trees in search of their main prey, carpenter ants, leaving unique rectangular holes. The nest holes these birds make offer crucial shelter to many species.
