Bird Guide

European Green Woodpecker vs Grey-headed Woodpecker

European Green Woodpecker (Picus viridis)

European Green Woodpecker

Picus viridis

Medium176 gForest

The European green woodpecker measures 30–36 cm (12–14 in) in length with a 45–51 cm (18–20 in) wingspan. Both sexes are green above and pale yellowish green below, with yellow rump and red crown and nape; the moustachial stripe has a red centre in the male but is solid black in the female. The lores and around the white eye are black in both male and female, except in the Iberian race P. v. subsp. sharpei, in which it is dark grey and males have only a lower black border to the moustache.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Recording: Christian Kahle · CC0
Photo: (c) Andrea Poggi, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Andrea Poggi · cc-by
Grey-headed Woodpecker (Picus canus)

Grey-headed Woodpecker

Picus canus

Medium137 gForest

The grey-headed woodpecker is 25–26 cm (9.8–10.2 in) in length, has a wingspan of 38–40 cm (15–16 in) and weighs around 125 g (4.4 oz). The male of the nominate subspecies has a grey head with a red forecrown. There is a black line across the lores and a narrow black moustache stripe. The back, scapulars and wing coverts are green. The breast and underbody are pale grey. The folded primaries are barred brown-black on grey-white. The female lacks the red forecrown but has fine black streaks on the crown. Voice: Calls made by the European green woodpecker and grey-headed woodpecker resemble each other. The far-carrying territorial song of the grey-headed woodpecker is more melodic and cleaner than the explosive "laughter" of the green woodpecker. The call series consists of ten to fifteen utterances of declining pitch and gradual slowing. The verse may appear melancholic and "dying".

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Recording: Camille Vacher · CC BY 4.0
Photo: Frank Vassen from Brussels, Belgium · CC BY 2.0

Where you might meet both

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: European Green Woodpecker and Grey-headed Woodpecker.