Black Woodpecker

Dryocopus martius

Least Concern · IUCN Red List

LCLeast ConcernInvertebratesForestCavity nestLarge · 321 g

What the Black Woodpecker sounds like

Sonogram of the Black Woodpecker: time runs left to right, pitch bottom to top, and the brighter the mark the louder the sound.
Recorded by Sonothèque ADVL · Alarm call · Arrondissement of Avranches (near Ducey-les-Chéris), Manche, Normandy, France · CC0 · via xeno-canto
Sonogram of the Black Woodpecker: time runs left to right, pitch bottom to top, and the brighter the mark the louder the sound.
Recorded by Sonothèque ADVL · Alarm call, begging call · Arrondissement of Avranches (near Ducey-les-Chéris), Manche, Normandy, France · CC0 · via xeno-canto
Sonogram of the Black Woodpecker: time runs left to right, pitch bottom to top, and the brighter the mark the louder the sound.
Recorded by Sonothèque ADVL · Call, drumming, song · Bacilly, Manche, Normandie, France · CC0 · via xeno-canto

ID tip

The black woodpecker measures 45 to 55 cm (18 to 22 in) long with a 64 to 84 cm (25 to 33 in) wingspan. Body weight is approximately 250 to 400 g (8.8 to 14.1 oz) on average. Among standard measurements, the wing chord is 22.7 to 26 cm (8.9 to 10.2 in), the tail is 15.9 to 17.3 cm (6.3 to 6.8 in), the very long bill is 5 to 6.7 cm (2.0 to 2.6 in) and the tarsus is 3.6 to 4 cm (1.4 to 1.6 in).

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

When to see the Black Woodpecker

One bar for each month, and every month is filled: this bird is recorded here in all twelve. The wide bar is May, the month with the most records.

Where to see the Black Woodpecker

Regular range

The map shades 48 countries with regular records. Everything unshaded has no records. Countries are listed below the map.

About the Black Woodpecker

The black woodpecker is a large woodpecker that lives in mature forests across the northern Palearctic. It is the sole representative of its genus in that region, and its range is expanding. The black woodpecker is easily the largest woodpecker species in Europe as well as in the portion of Asia where it lives and is one of the largest species worldwide. This non-migratory species tends to make its home in old-growth forest or large forest stands and excavates a large tree hole to reside in. In turn, several species rely on black woodpeckers to secondarily reside in the holes made in trees by them. This woodpecker's diet consists mostly of carpenter ants.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Easily confused with

Side by side: Black Woodpecker vs Pileated Woodpecker · Black Woodpecker vs Lineated Woodpecker · Black Woodpecker vs White-bellied Woodpecker

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